UK Only Article:
standard article
Issue:
How will history see me?
Fly Title:
Schumpeter
Rubric:
Giant emerging-market firms continue to advance everywhere
Main image:
20130119_WBD000_0.jpg
GRUPO BIMBO is on the prowl in el Norte again. In 2009 the Mexican baking giant bought part of Weston Foods for $2.3 billion, becoming the biggest baker in the United States. Two years later it bought Sarah Lee’s American baking operations for $960m. In the past month it has been in a battle over the tastiest bits of Hostess Brands’ bread business, as that once-iconic and now-bankrupt company winds up its affairs.
Bimbo brings more than a shopper’s eye to its expansion. It is a master at bread-related breakthroughs. It helped introduce Spaniards to sliced loaves and pioneered the packaging of bread in clear cellophane. It is also a master of efficiency and logistics: Bimbo lorries with their teddy-bear logo are familiar sights in Mexico and Central America. The combination of savvy dealmaking and relentless ...
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