HoneyBaked Ham deal made in hog heaven

Atlanta-based cataloger/retailer HoneyBaked Ham Co. of Georgia purchased a competing retailer, Roswell, GA-based Heavenly Ham. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The combined company will have more than 500 stores.

The company’s catalogs will account for 10%-15% of total revenue. Heavenly Ham distributes catalog via its franchise stores and also runs a corporate gift program. The HoneyBaked Ham catalog, according to data card information, has more than 101,000 12-month buyers, who spend an average of $125 an order.

HoneyBaked Ham president Kent Smith doesn’t expect to merge the customer databases of the two companies until next spring, after the two entities work through branding issues. “The customer lists will not be shared initially,” Smith says. “In too many acquisitions, the needs of one of the parties gets ignored, especially when it’s a David and Goliath situation. That’s why many deals fail. We want to take our time to work through these issues.”