Hostess Twinkies Returning to Store Shelves; Rolaids Not Too Far Behind

Apollo Global Management LLC (NYSE: APO) and investment firm C. Dean Metropoulos & Co. paid $410 million for the brands last spring after previous owner Hostess Brands Inc. went broke.

In a less well-followed, but equally important return for some consumers, Rolaids antacid tablets are scheduled to return to the market by the end of this year, following a two-year absence. In January, the U.S. health care division of Sanofi S.A. (NYSE: SNY), Chattem Inc., acquired the rights to the brand from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), and the company said then that it intended to relaunch Rolaids within the year. Chattem also markets consumer brands like Allegra, Gold Bond and Selsun Blue.

Rolaids were removed from the market in 2010 following the discovery of foreign matter in some packages. J&J’s McNeil-PPC division was shut down for this and other violations and has yet to reopen the plants under terms of a consent decree agreed in 2011.

The imminent return of Twinkies and the pending return of Rolaids may just be coincidence. Then again, maybe not.