Hershey and Amplify Snack Brands have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Hershey will acquire all outstanding shares of Amplify for $12.00 per share in cash, valuing Amplify at $1.6 billion.

Hershey and Amplify Snack Brands have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Hershey will acquire all outstanding shares of Amplify for $12.00 per share in cash, valuing Amplify at $1.6 billion.

"The acquisition of Amplify and its product portfolio is an important step in our journey to becoming an innovative snacking powerhouse as together it will enable us to bring scale and category management capabilities to a key sub-segment of the warehouse snack aisle," said Michele Buck, The Hershey Company President and Chief Executive Officer. "Hersheys snack mix and meat snacks products, combined with Amplifys Skinny Pop, Tyrrells, Oatmega, Paqui and other international brands, will allow us to capture more consumer snacking occasions by creating a broader portfolio of brands."

"Since Amplifys inception in 2014, our companys goal has been to bring transparency to our products, and clean ingredients and great tasting snacks to consumers," said Tom Ennis, Amplify Snack Brands, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer. "This transaction is a continuation of our mission as Hershey also believes in bringing to consumers great-tasting snacks made with the best ingredients possible. Hershey is a great cultural partner for Amplify and Im excited for our team who will have access to Hersheys marketing and go-to-market resources to take our brands to the next level."

This strategic acquisition is expected to be accretive to Hersheys financial targets given the growth trajectory and margin structure of Amplifys key products, the company said, noting that. Amplifys brands compete in many attractive food categories that are capitalizing on fast-growing trends in snacking with a focus on better-for-you products that deliver clean, simple and transparent ingredients as well as unique flavours and forms. Additionally, Hershey said, this combination brings customers a known brand building partner that invests in category management solutions to drive higher levels of conversion and velocity at retail.