PepsiCo's Smith's acquires Australian rice snack maker
has acquired Sakata Rice Snacks Australia, for an undisclosed sum.
Smith's, which is part of PepsiCo International, claims to be the nation's market leader in the salty snack market. Its main brands include Doritos, Parkers and Nobby's.
"The Australian rice snack category is growing. Sakata is a nice complement to our existing portfolio of salty snacks in Australia. It presents an exiting future growth opportunity for us," said Dick Detwiler of PepsiCo International.
Sakata, which claims to be leading the Australian rice snack market, is currently looking to expand its small but growing export business.
"Smith's and PepsiCo will bring outstanding marketing, innovation and distribution expertise to the business, which will see the market position of the Sakata brands significantly strengthened, not only in Australia, but also globally," said Hiroshi Suzukawa, founding director of Sakata.
The acquisition includes all Sakata assets in Australia, as well as international rights, excluding Japan, to manufacture, distribute and market Sakata products.
Smith's marketing director Alex Stevens said that adding rice-based snacks to the company's product range is consistent with its strategy of growing rapidly in the area of "better for you" snacks.
