The long-announced sale of Wm. Wrigley Corporation to Mars, Inc. (with a greasing of the skids courtesy of Warren Buffet and the fine folks at Berkshire Hathaway) was approved by shareholders during a special morning meeting at Chase Auditorium. The deal, in which Wrigley becomes a standalone company within the Mars empire, makes Mars the largest candy company in the world. [Sun-Times]......

Talk about your major deals. Mars, Inc. is set to buy the Wm. Wrigley Corporation for $22 billion. The deal is being fueled by some serious seed money from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The deal, which isn't inked yet, would signal a serious sea change in the snack food and candy market as prices for both sugar and milk are on the rise. It could also spur further consolidation within the confectionery industry, as Hershey......

The Tribune reports today that Wirtz Beverage Group, which is best known locally as Judge & Dolph, Ltd., is in the final stages of purchasing Glazer's Distributors of Illinois. When the deal is finalized, Wirtz Beverage group will once again become the largest distributor of beer, wine and spirits in the state. Glazer's, which operates locally as Union Beverage/National Wine and Spirits (best known for getting Larry Bell to take his kegs and haul ass......