ONE of Radcliffe's biggest employers has been swallowed up by confectionery giant Cadbury Schweppes in a £2.7 billion takeover deal.
The British company paid the money to Pfizer, which owns the throat sweet firm Adams. The factory in Dumers Lane employs about 350 workers and makes Halls lozenges.
Pfizer was behind a takeover of Adams's parent company, Warner-Lambert, in 2000.
Cadbury Schweppes beat off rival bids by US food group Kraft and the Swiss company Nestle to land the deal for Pfizer. Cadbury boss John Sunderland said it was "too early to say" if there would be any job cuts following the takeover.
Halls was established by Norman and Thomas Hall at Cross Lane, Radcliffe, in 1883. The company started out making jams and soap and moved into the boiled sweets market in 1924. Three years later, the "Mentho Lyptus" brand was launched.
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