The stock-for-stock agreement made Snyder's a wholly-owned subsidiary and expanded its new parent's portfolio, which already included about a dozen owned brands (such as Lance, Tom's, Cape Cod, and Archway) and a collection of popular licensed names (think Bugles). The deal also created one of the nation's largest Direct Store Delivery (DSD) networks. Snyder's-Lance maintains two corporate offices -- one in North Carolina and one in Pennsylvania.

Operations

Snyder's operates a large bakery and Research and Development Center in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Geographic Reach

Based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, Snyder's of Hanover sells its products across the US, as well as in Germany, the UK, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Kuwait, Puerto Rico, the West Indies, Cayman Islands, Aruba/Curacao, and Canada.

Sales and Marketing

Peddling its products online -- through digital campaigns and social media -- and through stores, Snyder's of Hanover sells its pretzels and chips with the help of supermarkets, drugstores, and mass merchandisers.

Strategy

Parent company Snyder's-Lance is fueling growth for its core brands -- Snyder's of Hanover pretzels, Lance sandwich crackers, and Cape Cod potato chips -- through new product development and distribution expansion. New product development is getting a boost from the company's newly-constructed 60,000-square-foot Research and Development Center in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Indeed, in 2013 the snacks maker introduced gluten-free pretzels, and Snyder's of Hanover (SoH) Korn Krunchers. In 2014, the company expects to launch SoH Sweet and Salty pretzel pieces, and Pretzel Spoonz.

Snyder's of Hanover's finesse in creating healthy snack products had lured Lance to buy the business. Snyder's of Hanover offers the MultiGrain line of snacks, which includes tortilla chips and strips, sunflower chips, pretzels, and cheese puffs and crunchies. It also makes 100-calorie snack packs, as well as gluten-free products. Snyder's added pretzel crackers -- thin disks that are brown and salted on both sides. Looking to attract food service customers, the company has devised other new products, such as "pretzel shots" -- small pretzel containers designed to hold fillings and dips and used as hors d'oeuvres.

To better serve customers through its vast DSD network, Snyder's-Lance has been converting some 1,300 company-owned routes to independent operators.

Company Background

Prior to being approached by Lance, Snyder's made an unsuccessful bid to acquire Utz Quality Foods in 2009. The deal was called off with both companies stating that since the takeover had not been cleared by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), they decided to cancel the deal altogether. Both companies said they preferred to get on with their businesses and not partake in time-consuming negotiations with the government, which they noted would have been detrimental to their companies.

Snyder's was founded in 1909 by Harry V. Warehime, who started the business using just one pretzel recipe, one flavor, and one shape.