CADBURY BUYS NEILSON
By Adnews Staff
Cadbury Schweppes PLC's sweet tooth is getting bigger. The British company has made a deal to buy Canadian chocolate bar maker Neilson Cadbury from George Weston Ltd. for $225 million. The deal is supposed to close in early January. Neilson Cadbury makes and markets Cadbury products in Canada under a licence from the British firm, but Cadbury Schweppes wants to become a major player in the global chocolate bar market. Advertising for Neilson is done by Leo Burnett Company of Toronto. Neilson officials were unavailable to say whether advertising will be affected by the ownership change. Neilson Cadbury had 1994 sales of $228 million. It makes brands such as Caramilk, Crispy Crunch, Mr. Big, Jersey Milk and Choclairs. Neilson also sells chocolate to other biscuit and cake companies in Canada.