RJR Nabisco

RJR Nabisco was a major American conglomerate formed in 1985 through the merger of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Nabisco Brands. The company operated as a leader in the consumer goods sector, managing a diverse portfolio that included iconic tobacco brands and popular food products like Oreo and Ritz crackers. It gained significant historical prominence due to its 1988 leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), a transaction valued at approximately $25 billion. This deal remained the largest leveraged buyout in history for nearly two decades and was famously chronicled in the book 'Barbarians at the Gate'. Following the acquisition, the company underwent extensive restructuring and was eventually broken up into separate entities, with its food business eventually becoming part of Mondelēz International and its tobacco business becoming part of British American Tobacco.