Smith's
An Australian-centered PepsiCo snack brand best known for potato chips and other savory snacks.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Smith's is a savory-snack brand with roots in the United Kingdom and its strongest contemporary identity in Australia. Frank Smith and Jim Viney established Smith's Potato Crisps in London in 1920 after Smith had worked in the grocery trade and developed an interest in producing potato crisps. The early business became notable for selling plain crisps with a small separate sachet of salt, allowing customers to season the product themselves. From a small London operation, Smith's expanded into a substantial British manufacturing and distribution business and became the leading crisp producer in the country during the interwar period. The brand's British history is marked by expansion, acquisitions and increasingly sophisticated flavor development. Smith's opened additional factories during the 1920s and acquired businesses in adjacent snack categories, including Tudor Crisps, a biscuit and wafer producer, and a nut company. The introduction of Salt & Vinegar on a national basis in 1967 was an important response to the rise of Cheese & Onion among competitors and helped establish the flavor as a defining part of the British crisp market. Smith's also experimented with advertising and new snack formats. Its campaigns included the children's-oriented 'Do The Crunch' promotion, while Monster Munch was introduced in Britain in the late 1970s before later becoming more closely associated with PepsiCo's Walkers portfolio. Ownership changed repeatedly. General Mills acquired the British business in 1966; Associated Biscuits bought it in 1978; and Nabisco acquired Associated Biscuits in 1982, bringing Smith's under the same ownership as Walkers. PepsiCo ultimately acquired the British and Dutch businesses in 1989 and 1992 respectively, and bought the Australian business in 1998. Under PepsiCo, Walkers became the principal crisp brand in the United Kingdom, while Smith's was progressively used for selected value and legacy snack products. Several products historically associated with Smith's were transferred to the Walkers name in Britain, leaving the Smith's name with a narrower role there. Australia became the brand's most durable national market. Frank Smith established an Australian operation in the early 1930s with George Ensor. Initial production used small gas-fired cooking pots and hand packing in Sydney, but the business survived an early liquidation during the Great Depression and was reorganized in 1932 with the British company retaining a majority interest. Postwar growth led to continuous cooking equipment and wider distribution. Australia also became an important center for flavor innovation: chicken-flavored chips were introduced in 1961, followed by barbecue and cheese-and-onion variants in later decades. The familiar Australian range has historically included Original Salted, Salt & Vinegar, Chicken, Barbecue and Cheese & Onion, with packaging colors helping consumers distinguish the flavors. The Australian business passed through several corporate owners before joining PepsiCo. Associated Products and Distribution acquired a substantial interest in 1968, the business later became CCA Snackfoods, and United Biscuits bought it in 1993. PepsiCo's Frito-Lay operation acquired Smith's in 1998 and combined its Australian snack activities with the Smith's business. Competition concerns required the divestment of several brands and manufacturing assets, which were transferred into the business later known as Snack Brands Australia. Smith's therefore remained a major PepsiCo presence while sharing the Australian market with brands such as Doritos, Cheetos, Twisties, Red Rock Deli, Sakata and others. Marketing has been central to Smith's Australian identity. The Gobbledok, a chip-eating alien character introduced in advertising in the late 1980s, became one of the brand's most recognizable advertising properties. Although originally intended for a single commercial, the character returned in campaigns and packaging over sub…
History
Smith's began in London in 1920 when Frank Smith and Jim Viney established a crisp business drawing on Smith's earlier grocery experience. The company initially produced plain potato crisps and supplied salt separately in small sachets. This format, combined with expanding local distribution, helped the business grow rapidly. By the late 1920s Smith's had multiple factories, and the company was incorporated as a private limited company in 1930. During the 1930s it dominated British crisp production. The business continued expanding through the postwar period. It acquired Tudor Crisps in 1960 and added businesses in biscuits, wafers and nuts. Competitive pressure intensified after Cheese & Onion became a major flavor in Britain. Smith's responded by developing Salt & Vinegar, first tested by Tudor and launched nationally in 1967. The company also developed new snack products and advertising properties, including Monster Munch, which began as a Smith's product in Britain before moving into the Walkers-centered PepsiCo portfolio. Corporate ownership changed from General Mills to Associated Biscuits and then Nabisco. The 1982 Nabisco acquisition placed Smith's and Walkers under common ownership. PepsiCo bought the businesses in stages after the break-up and restructuring of the wider Nabisco assets: the British operation in 1989, the Dutch operation in 1992 and the Australian operation in 1998. In Britain, PepsiCo gradually concentrated its principal crisp marketing behind Walkers. Smith's continued as a smaller legacy and value-oriented label, while a number of products migrated to Walkers branding. Australia developed into Smith's most important continuing national market. Frank Smith established production there in the early 1930s with George Ensor. Early manufacturing took place in Sydney using individual cooking pots and manual packing. The Australian company entered voluntary liquidation during the Depression but was reconstituted in May 1932 with the British company as majority shareholder. Postwar demand supported mechanization, broader retail distribution and new pack sizes. Chicken became the first major flavored Australian Smith's chip in 1961, followed by Salt & Vinegar, barbecue and Cheese & Onion variants. The Australian company was affected by a sequence of acquisitions involving Associated Products and Distribution, CCA Snackfoods and United Biscuits. PepsiCo's Frito-Lay acquired the business in 1998 and integrated its Australian snack portfolio with Smith's. Regulatory requirements led to the divestment of several brands, factories and related assets, but Smith's remained a core Australian snack label. Its range broadened beyond potato chips to include extruded snacks, rice crackers, pretzels, nuts and products sold under other PepsiCo-owned or associated brands. Australian advertising further distinguished the brand. The Gobbledok, a fictional alien devoted to eating Smith's chips, was created for advertising in 1987 and became a recurring character through the 1990s and later commemorative appearances. The brand has also operated vending machines through Smith's Snackvend. Smith's is currently active in Australia, while in the United Kingdom it functions mainly as a PepsiCo sub-brand produced by Walkers. Its former Dutch presence was replaced by Lay's in the early 2000s.
- 2021
Gobbledok returned for an anniversary advertisement
[1]The character appeared in advertising marking the Australian company's ninetieth anniversary.
- 1998
PepsiCo acquired the Australian business
[1]Frito-Lay acquired Smith's Snackfood Company and combined its Australian snack operations with the business.
- 1989
PepsiCo acquired the British business
[1]PepsiCo acquired Smith's and Walkers after the businesses were sold by BSN.
- 1987
Gobbledok introduced in Australia
[1]The fictional chip-eating alien first appeared in Australian Smith's advertising.
- 1982
Nabisco ownership links Smith's with Walkers
[1]Nabisco's acquisition of Associated Biscuits brought Smith's and Walkers under common ownership.
- 1977
Monster Munch introduced
[1]Smith's launched the snack originally known as The Prime Monster in Britain.
- 1967
Salt & Vinegar launched nationally in Britain
[1]Smith's introduced Salt & Vinegar nationally after testing by its Tudor subsidiary.
- 1960
Tudor Crisps acquired
[1]Smith's expanded in Britain by purchasing northern rival Tudor Crisps.
- 1932
Australian business reorganized
[1]Smith's Potato Crisps (Australia) was formed after the original operation entered liquidation during the Depression.
- 1930
British company incorporated
[1]Smith's became a private limited company after expanding its British factory network.
Products and positioning
Mass-market savory snacking with strong Australian heritage, broad supermarket and convenience distribution, recognizable flavor variants and an established family-oriented advertising identity.
Potato chips
Smith's Crinkle Cut
A ridged potato-chip range and one of the principal Australian Smith's formats. The range has been sold in several established flavors, including Original Salted, Salt & Vinegar, Chicken, Barbecue and Cheese & Onion, alongside limited editions and other market variations.
Potato chips
Smith's Thinly Cut
Thinly sliced potato chips sold in multiple flavors as part of the Australian portfolio. The product extends the brand beyond its strongly associated crinkle-cut format.
Popped potato snacks
Smith's Popped
An air-popped potato snack line positioned as an alternative to conventionally fried potato chips.
Extruded corn snack
Chipsticks
A British Smith's snack made from extruded corn starch and formed into short, fry-like sticks, traditionally associated with Salt & Vinegar seasoning.
Extruded corn snack
Frazzles
A bacon-flavored extruded corn snack shaped to resemble bacon rashers. It is part of the surviving Smith's-associated snack range in the United Kingdom.
Extruded cereal snacks
Bacon Fries and Scampi Fries
Small savory extruded snacks sold in bacon and scampi flavor profiles, respectively, and associated with the British Smith's portfolio.
Potato chips
Smith's Crisps multipacks
Classic British Smith's potato crisps sold in multipacks and traditionally available in Ready Salted, Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onion flavors.
Advertising character · 1987
Gobbledok
A fictional light-brown alien from Dok the Potato Planet whose obsession with Smith's chips made him a long-running Australian brand character. The character became a distinctive part of Smith's advertising and packaging rather than a food product itself.
Controversies
2016
ACCC action over Sakata Paws packaging representation
The Smith's Snackfood Company was fined A$10,800 by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over packaging for Sakata Paws Pizza Supreme Rice Snacks. The packaging prominently stated that the product met school canteen guidelines, while the qualification that it met only the Amber criteria appeared in small print elsewhere. The company removed the logo.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Gobbledok 90th-anniversary advertising
Australia
Smith's brought back the Gobbledok for advertising connected with the Australian business's ninetieth anniversary.
Outcome. The campaign refreshed a long-established Australian brand property for a contemporary audience.
- 1987Gobbledok
Australia
Smith's introduced a commercial character depicting an alien who compulsively eats the brand's chips and repeats the catchphrase 'chippie, chippie, chippie!'.
Outcome. The originally one-off character became a recurring advertising and packaging asset, with later appearances including a 2021 anniversary commercial.
- 1967Do The Crunch
United Kingdom
A Smith's advertising campaign encouraged consumers, particularly children, to perform a crunch-related dance. A young Phil Collins reportedly participated in a touring promotion for the campaign.
Outcome. The campaign became an identifiable part of Smith's late-1960s British marketing.
Brand decisions
2001
Replacement of Smith's name by Lay's in BeneluxStrategyBackground
PepsiCo had reunited the British, Dutch and Australian Smith's businesses under common ownership, but its international brand architecture increasingly favored Lay's.
Action taken
The Smith's brand was discontinued in the Benelux market and replaced by Lay's.
Aftermath
Smith's retained a continuing role in Australia and a reduced sub-brand role in the United Kingdom, but no longer operated as an active Benelux brand.
1998
Frito-Lay acquisition and Australian portfolio integrationM&ABackground
Frito-Lay sought to consolidate its Australian salty-snack operations by acquiring Smith's Snackfood Company.
Action taken
Frito-Lay acquired Smith's and integrated brands including Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Ruffles and Tostitos into the Australian business.
Aftermath
Competition concerns led to the divestment of several brands, factories and other assets into the business later known as Snack Brands Australia.
1967
National Salt & Vinegar launchProduct launchBackground
Smith's faced growing competitive pressure in Britain after Cheese & Onion became a major market flavor.
Action taken
It took Salt & Vinegar, first tested by Tudor, to the national market.
Aftermath
Salt & Vinegar became one of the brand's enduring flavor associations and contributed to a broader British flavor competition.
Recent events
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