In 1978 the company was sold to the Campbell Soup Company. As part of Campbell, the Vlasic brand prospered due to increased investment in both advertising expenditures and R&D. The 1994 roll-out of the Vlasic Stackers line of pickle slices intended for sandwiches continued to help build the brand into a major line of pickle products accounting for over a third of the U.S. pickle market. By 2000 the brand boasted 95% consumer awareness and was the only national pickle brand in America. However, the overall pickle market had been flat for a few years and Vlasic had only achieved small gains in the nineties. As Campbell’s reconsidered its own agenda, its stock prices were sagging. Seeking to improve its profitability picture, Campbell reviewed its business units with an eye to weed out those businesses that did not meet Campbell’s corporate benchmarks and objectives. Ultimately, the decision was made to spin off several non-core businesses, including Vlasic pickles as well as Open Pit Barbecue Sauce, Swanson foods, Armour meats in Argentina, and a mushroom farm business.