Ralcorp
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| Type | Subsidiary of ConAgra |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food products |
| Founded | St. Louis, Missouri (1994) (Spun off from Ralston Purina) |
| Headquarters | Bank of America Plaza St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Area served | United States |
| Key people | David P. Skarie, CEO |
| Products | Packaged foods, breakfast cereal, frozen food |
| Revenue |  US$4.049 billion (2010) |
| Operating income |  US$302 million (2010) |
| Net income | US$209 million (2010) |
| Total assets | US$6.805 billion (2010) |
| Total equity | US$2.829 billion (2010) |
| Employees | 9,350 (2009) |
| Website | ralcorp.com |
Ralcorp Holdings[needs IPA] is a manufacturer of various food products, including breakfast cereal, cookies, crackers, chocolate, snack foods, mayonnaise, pasta and peanut butter. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri. The majority of the items Ralcorp makes are private label, store brand products. It has over 9,000 employees.[1] Ralcorp has its headquarters in the Bank of America Plaza in downtown St. Louis.[2]
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History and description [edit]
Originally part of Ralston Purina, the Ralston name was more associated with food for humans; soda crackers and a farina cereal, among other products, were marketed under this name. Ralcorp can trace its ancestry to 1898 when William Danforth of Purina Mills, which made animal feeds, began making breakfast cereal. He sought and received the endorsement of Webster Edgerly (a.k.a. Dr. Ralston) who founded the Ralstonism social movement.[3] Ralston cereal became so successful that Purina Mills was renamed Ralston Purina in 1902.[4] Ralston Purina also for many years produced the familiar line of Chex and Cookie Crisp cold breakfast cereals. The animal and human food businesses were seemingly only tenuously related. In 1994, the human food business was spun off to Ralcorp Holdings, operating as Ralston Foods, which then sold its branded breakfast cereal lineup to General Mills and its Continental Baking division (Wonder Bread and Twinkies) to Interstate Bakeries. The Purina part of the company is now split. The pet food company was sold to Nestle is now called Nestlé Purina PetCare. The livestock food company is called Purina Mills, LLC and is a unit of Land O'Lakes. Ralcorp manufactures many store brand foods that are sold in grocery outlets across the United States under the retailers' private labels. In late 2007, Ralcorp signed an agreement with Kraft Foods to acquire the Post Cereals brands, thus returning to the major branded cereal business. The acquisition was completed August 4, 2008.[5] Another brand name product Ralcorp makes and markets is Ry-Krisp crisp bread.
Takeover by ConAgra [edit]
In 2011, Ralcorp received an unsolicited offer for the company from ConAgra. Ralcorp resisted the takeover attempt. Ralcorp also announced it was spinning off its Post Foods unit.[6] The spinoff was completed in 2012.[7] On November 27, 2012 ConAgra officials announced they were purchasing Ralcorp, pending Ralcorp shareholder approval, for approximately $4.95 billion dollars. Stockholders of Ralcorp Holdings Inc. would receive $90 dollars per share. The acquisition was completed in January 2013.[8] As a result ConAgra is the largest private-label packaged food business in the United States. [9]
Subsidiaries [edit]
- American Italian Pasta Company (Acquired 2010)
- Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products
- Ralcorp Snacks, Sauces & Spreads
- Bremner Food Group (Acquired 1978)
- Carriage House Companies (Formed 2000)
- Ralston Foods
- Bloomfield Bakers/Lovin Oven LLC (Acquired 2009)
References [edit]
- ^ Yahoo finance company profile
- ^ Contact Us. Ralcorp. Retrieved on January 18, 2010.
- ^ Hoolihan, Christopher; Atwater, Edward C. An Annotated Catalogue of the Edward C. Atwater Collection of American Popular Medicine and Health Reform, Volume 1, A-L, University of Rochester Press, 2002, p. 223. ISBN 1-58046-098-4
- ^ http://www.nestlepurina.com/WholeGrain.aspx
- ^ "Ralcorp Announces Completion of Post Cereals Merger". Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
- ^ Boyle, Matthew (July 14, 2011). "Ralcorp to Spin Off Post Foods After Failing to Find Buyer". Bloomberg.
- ^ "Ralcorp Completes Separation of Post Cereals Business". Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. February 6, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ http://www.conagrafoods.com/news-room/news-ConAgra-Foods-Completes-Acquisition-of-Ralcorp-1779060
- ^ "ConAgra Foods to make big purchase". Associated Press via KTVO-TV. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ The deal: Ralcorp Holdings Inc. acquires Bakery Chef
- ^ Lodi's Cottage Bakery sells for $170.8 million
- ^ Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. Completes Purchase of Lofthouse Foods Incorporated
