Dean Foods Co. in May said it will acquire the manufacturing and retail ice cream business of Friendly’s Ice Cream for $155 million in cash. Friendly’s is a leading ice cream brand in the Northeast, as well as a restaurant company. Dean Foods ranks No. 2 and Friendly’s ranks No. 67 on the 2015 Dairy 100, this magazine’s annual ranking of North America’s largest dairy processing companies.
Friendly’s Ice Cream, with $166 million in net sales in 2015, produces popular packaged ice cream and other frozen dessert products, including single-serve sundae cups, novelty items, cakes and rolls. Its plant is in Wilbraham, in western Massachusetts. Friendly’s distributes these products in over 8,000 retail outlets. In 2011, Friendly’s filed for bankruptcy protection and emerged from it about a year later.