Retailers scramble to find private label bread suppliers

After Irving, Texas-based Hostess Brands suddenly shut down 33 plants and filed for liquidation on Nov. 16, several retailers found themselves scrambling to find bakeries to supply them with private label bread and buns. According to a Nov. 16 story in the Chicago Tribune, one of those retailers was Supervalu Inc., Minneapolis. The newspaper reported that a Hostess plant in Hodgkins, Ill., produced the Essential Everyday bread for Supervalu’s Jewel supermarket chain, which was working on a plan to find a new vendor.