United Biscuits (UB), the UK's largest biscuit maker, could be split up in a bid to hasten a sale.
Rumours have resurfaced that the company - which owns such famed brands as Digestives and Jaffa Cakes, as well as KP Peanuts - could be broken up by its owners, private equity firms Blackstone and PAI Partners, having first emerged in July 2010.
Links with potential buyers last year - including Kraft and the Campbell Soup Company - came to nothing, but it is thought that UB is still looking at spinning off its savoury brands. Insiders believe that this could improve the chances of a successful sale of the primary business.
UB saw its operating profits for 2010 rise by 10.4 per cent to £218.5 million, although there was also a significant drop in staffing numbers, diminishing by five per cent to 6,169.
Commenting on the potential sale, analyst Marcia Mogelonsky, told FoodManufacture.co.uk that the big-name brands - including Kraft and Campbells - could still be interested, adding that US-based Diamond Foods and the Mexican Bimbo brand may also be interested in an acquisition.
No-one from PAI Partners or Blackstone has been available to comment on the matter.
