Ferrero to buy WK Kellogg for $3.1 billion

Italian confectioner Ferrero, known for brands like Nutella and Kinder, is buying the century-old U.S. cereal company WK Kellogg in a deal valued at approximately $3.1 billion.

The Ferrero Group said Thursday it will pay $23 for each Kellogg share. The transaction includes the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of WK Kellogg Co.’s portfolio of breakfast cereals across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.

WK Kellogg’s shares were up 30% in premarket trading Thursday.

Kellogg, which was founded in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1906, makes Fruit Loops, Special K, Frosted Flakes, and Rice Krispies.

The current company was formed in 2023, when Kellogg’s snack brands like Cheez-Its and Pringles were spun into a separate company called Kellanova. M&M’s maker Mars Inc. announced last year that it planned to buy Kellanova in a deal worth nearly $30 billion.

Ferrero Group, which was founded in Italy in 1946, has been trying to expand its U.S. footprint. In 2018 it bought Nestle’s U.S. candy brands, including Butterfinger, Nerds, and SweeTarts. And in 2022 it bought Wells Enterprises, the maker of ice cream brands like Blue Bunny and Halo Top.

The deal, which still needs approval from Kellogg shareholders, is expected to close in the second half of the year. Once the transaction is complete, Kellogg’s stock will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange and the company will become a Ferrero subsidiary.

—Dee-Ann Durbin and Michelle Chapman, AP business writers