Thins
Encyclopedia
Thins is one of the largest brands of potato chips (crisps) released in Australia
and is owned by Snack Brands Australia
. They are a thinly sliced variety of potato chip (crisp) and come in a variety of flavours including Chicken, Original, Salt & Vinegar and Light & Tangy. They compete chiefly with Smith's Selections Thinly Cut; another thinly sliced potato chip (crisp), along with various crinkle cut brands.
The Thins brand has undergone several ownership changes throughout its history. Originally owned by Arnott's the brand was sold to The Smith's Snackfood Company
shortly after Arnott's was bought by the Campbell Soup Company
in hostile takeover bid in 1997. Smith's in turn was purchased by Pepsico
and began to relabel the Thins brand jointly with Pepsi's own brand of thin potato chips, Lay's
. They were sold under the moniker Thins: now known internationally as Lays. Smith's later sold Thins to Snack Foods Limited
, while continuing to produce their own line of potato chips under the 'Lays' brand name. For a while there were two competing lines of potato chips released in Australia which were effectively the same product, even sharing similar packaging since the Thins packet was designed off the Lays ones released in North America
. In 2002 Snack Foods Limited was purchased by Arnott's, and the Thins brand returned to the company which created it. Smith's produced a line of potato chips under the Lay's brand for a brief period of time until it was eventually rebranded as Smith's Crisps, while the traditional Smith's line was renamed Smith's Crinkles. Thins is still sold in Australia as a direct competitor to Smith's Crisps.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and is owned by Snack Brands Australia
Snack Brands Australia
Snack Brands Australia is one of the largest suppliers of snack foods in Australia and acts as the main competitor to PepsiCo's subsidiary The Smith's Snackfood Company...
. They are a thinly sliced variety of potato chip (crisp) and come in a variety of flavours including Chicken, Original, Salt & Vinegar and Light & Tangy. They compete chiefly with Smith's Selections Thinly Cut; another thinly sliced potato chip (crisp), along with various crinkle cut brands.
The Thins brand has undergone several ownership changes throughout its history. Originally owned by Arnott's the brand was sold to The Smith's Snackfood Company
The Smith's Snackfood Company
The Smith's Snackfood Company is a company best known for producing and selling a range of snack food such as crisps. It is now owned by New York based company PepsiCo.-Smiths in the UK:...
shortly after Arnott's was bought by the Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company , also known as Campbell's, is an American producer of canned soups and related products. Campbell's products are sold in 120 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey...
in hostile takeover bid in 1997. Smith's in turn was purchased by Pepsico
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
and began to relabel the Thins brand jointly with Pepsi's own brand of thin potato chips, Lay's
Lay's
Lay's is the brand name for a number of potato chip varieties as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in 1932. Lay's chips has been marketed as a division of Frito-Lay, a company owned by PepsiCo since 1965...
. They were sold under the moniker Thins: now known internationally as Lays. Smith's later sold Thins to Snack Foods Limited
Snack Foods Limited
Snack Foods Limited is an Australian snack food company and was officially formed on 25 November 1999, and was owned by the Campbell Soup Company's Australian subsidiary, Arnott's Biscuits Holdings Pty Ltd. Snack Foods Limited owns one of Australia's largest salted snack food companies, Snack...
, while continuing to produce their own line of potato chips under the 'Lays' brand name. For a while there were two competing lines of potato chips released in Australia which were effectively the same product, even sharing similar packaging since the Thins packet was designed off the Lays ones released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In 2002 Snack Foods Limited was purchased by Arnott's, and the Thins brand returned to the company which created it. Smith's produced a line of potato chips under the Lay's brand for a brief period of time until it was eventually rebranded as Smith's Crisps, while the traditional Smith's line was renamed Smith's Crinkles. Thins is still sold in Australia as a direct competitor to Smith's Crisps.