US foodservice distributor AmeriServe has been snapped up by Wal-Mart subsidiary McLane & Co for an undisclosed sum, just seven months after filing for Chapter 11 protection against bankruptcy. Texas based AmeriServe supplies food and other equipment to America's top restaurant chains, including Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC, owned by Tricon Global Restaurants. But it began to struggle with debt from two major acquisitions made in the late 90s. Burger King, which accounted for a third of AmeriServe's sales, took its custom elsewhere when it discovered the distributor was failing to pay its suppliers on time. But Tricon was so reliant on AmeriServe it kept the debt ridden company afloat with $70m in emergency financing. With annual sales approaching $9bn, McLane controls about a third of the distribution to convenience stores in the US. The deal, which is subject to the approval of the US bankruptcy court in Delaware, "allows those who depend on us to carry on business as usual," said AmeriServe boss Ron Rittenmeyer. {{NEWS }}