Final boxes of Twinkies on the shelves of Wegmans in DeWitt
/ Photo: Alex Dunbar
Hostess Brands, known for the Twinkie, Ho Ho, Ding Dong and Zinger, is closing plants nationwide after a crippling strike forced the company to file for bankruptcy and eventually close.
Central New York customers devastated by the news raced to the Wegmans Supermarket in DeWitt to get their hands on a final box of the famous treats.
On the Hostess webpage, a statement says, "We are sorry to announce that Hostess Brands, Inc. has been forced by a Bakers Union strike to shut down all operations and sell all company assets."
Alice Wickoff made her way to the grocery store after hearing about the company closing. "That's the only reason we came in, we wanted to beat the lunch rush just to get some Hostess stuff," says Wickoff.
For millions of Americans the iconic treats were a childhood favorite that was shared with friends and family.
"When you got home from school, you ran to the cupboard and picked up a Twinkie or a Cupcake or whatever mom had for you," says Sara Kohlbrenner.
Shelves at Wegmans stores were stocked Friday morning around the time of the announcement with what was left of the Hostess items and by noon only the CoffeeCakes and Zingers were still standing.
All 18,500 Hostess employees will be laid off and the closure will impact 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers, about 5,500 delivery routes and 570 bakery outlet stores throughout the United States.
There is a Hostess Bakery Outlet Store located in DeWitt. A statement on the Hostess website indicates that retail stores will remain open for several days in order to sell already-baked products.
Read more about the closing on Hostess's website.
