Twinkies makes their return

Twinkie fans can breathe easy and head to Walmart for the first batch of their favorite golden sponge cake since the treats disappeared from store shelves last year. The superstore chain announced Friday that 1600 of its stores are already selling the Hostess snack, and it promises to have 3,000 of its 4,000 U.S. stores stocked by Sunday morning.

The news comes just three days before Twinkies national return date set for Monday, July 15, the Associated Press reports. Walmart also plans to have Hostess mini muffins and fruit pies back on its shelves by late next week, while coffee cakes, ho hos, orange cupcakes, Suzy Qs and zingers will be available early August. Sno-balls are due out in the fall.

The newfangled old favorite will also have an extended shelf life of 45 days compared to the 26-day shelf life of its previous incarnation. But the new owners of the Hostess cakes also revealed that they will freeze Twinkies on request for about 10% of retailers, to allow stores to alter the expiration dates on the cakes. According to Walmart spokeswoman Veronica Marshall, the chain is not one of the retailers that will freeze the iconic treats.

Last year Hostess went bankrupt following a dispute with its second biggest union, resulting in the company selling off pieces of its brands. The Twinkie, along with other Hostess cakes, was saved by private equity firms Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo Global Management.

Source