PILLSBURY AGREES TO BUY MARTHA WHITE

MINNEAPOLIS -- In a move company officials say will make it the No. 2 producer of baking mixes, Pillsbury has agreed to purchase Martha White, a baking mix marketer based in Nashville, Tenn.

rticularly in the South.

"The real advantage of this acquisition from our point of view is that it's such a nice fit. There's virtually no duplication," Hawthorne said in an interview with SN. He cited brownies as one area of possible duplication, but said no decision has been made on whether products from either line will be eliminated.

From the supermarket buyer's perspective, interaction with either company won't change much, at least initially, he added. "In the near term, it will be business as usual. As we go forward, we would hopefully end up having a one-company approach with regard to our retail customers."

Pending legal and regulatory approval of the sale, Martha White will become a division of Pillsbury, a subsidiary of Grand Metropolitan PLC, London.

Dennis Dahl, formerly vice president of sales and marketing for Martha White, will become president of the division. He will report to Barbara Thomas, Pillsbury's desserts, baking mixes and breakfast products vice president.