Hickory Farms Sold

Private equity firm Sun Capital Partners yesterday acquired food gifts catalog Hickory Farms. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The cataloger had been owned by another private investment firm, Jupiter Partners, since January 1998.

Founded in 1950 as a cheese merchant, Maumee, OH-based Hickory Farms sells sausages, crackers, desserts, and jams through seasonal kiosks, a catalog and Website. The company also distributes its product through grocery stores and big-box retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart. Hickory Farms, whose annual sales are estimated at $180 million, employs 200 people nationwide.

Sun Capital Partners has had a busy week: The Boca Raton, FL-based firm on Monday bought a 75% stake in the Limited Stores unit of Columbus, OH-based Limited Brands. Sun Capital also acquired gifts cataloger Lillian Vernon in May 2006, and it bought multichannel sporting goods merchant Edwin Watts Golf Shops this past May.