Twinkies appear ahead of schedule at some Walmarts

Twinkies, reintroduced with a longer shelf life, are hitting Walmart’s shelves ahead of schedule. The Hostess snack cakes, which will be available widely Monday, were spotted at stores in Florida and elsewhere as early as today.

Calls to Southern California locations revealed they’re not available here just yet.

Some 1,600 Walmart stores around the country started selling Twinkies early. By Sunday, 3,000 of the 4,000 stores are supposed to be stocked with the Hostess cakes, reported Time.

The Twinkies, which are normally priced at $3.99 for a box of 10 are being sold at some Walmarts for $2.98.

Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo Global Management, the firms that purchased Twinkies and other Hostess products when Hostess Brands Inc. shut down in 2012, have brought the original Twinkie back.

Hostess is operating again, but on a much smaller scale. Production was reduced from 11 bakery plants to four, and the main headquarters have moved from Texas to Kansas City, Mo., reported the Associated Press.

While the Twinkie remains the same, some of the other Hostess products have gotten a makeover. The CupCakes are now made with dark cocoa instead of milk chocolate. And according to Rich Seban, Hostess president and former chief operating officer, the brand is looking into expanding its line of products.

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