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While frozen potato products remain the foundation of McCain's success, its other products include vegetables, desserts, pizzas, juices and oven meals. McCain has six production facilities in the UK, four French fry plants, one pizza plant and one appetiser plant. The company also has its own seed potato company in Montrose.

McCain Produce was founded in 1914 as a potato trading company in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada. Brothers Wallace and Harrison McCain founded the fries side of the business in 1956.

The company expanded to the UK in 1968, and in 1969 the first factory outside of Canada was built in Scarborough.

By 1993, the company employed 12,500 people around the world, and had an annual turnover of £1.4bn worldwide.

McCain has more than 55 production plants on five continents, Of these, 30 are potato processing facilities.

The company sells in more than 80 countries, including the US, Holland, France, Belgium, Holland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.

McCain exports to more than 100 countries and holds a global market share of 31%, a figure that increases to 38% on exclusion of the US market.

McCain Foods carried out a sampling campaign in December 2002, to promote McCain Rosti through live sampling agency iD.

Also that month McCain launched a campaign in support of its Home Fries brand. The ads were designed to illustrate that the fries can be cooked in the oven or a fryer.

One execution is set in a kitchen and features a plumber working while a child plays in the back-ground. The plumber sees the dad getting a tray of chips out of the oven and explains that the chips can be fried, going on to mention a TV ad for McCain Home Fries with a girl changing a light bulb. The ad ends with the strapline 'McCain Home Fries, great ovened, great fried'. The second execution involves a girl changing a bulb discussing the other Home Fries ad with her friend.

Previous work has focused on the product being a premium chip with ads featuring people stealing chips from plates or using the line 'The daddy of chips'.

In April 2003, McCain Foods acquired fellow Canadian firm Belleisle Foods.

It is a leading manufacturer of frozen Chinese food, including egg rolls and main courses.

In May, TBWA\London was hired to handle its £15m creative business.

McCain sponsors the stadium of Scarborough FC.

Worldwide sales     £3.67bn
Employees           16,000 (2000 in UK)
(Year to May 30, 2002)
Advertising agency
TBWA\London
Media agency
PHD Compass
PR agency
The Red Consultancy
Adspend (year to May 2003)
TV                  £10,663,477
Outdoor             £640,970
Press               £107,501

Radio £341,580

Total £11,753,528

Source: ACNielsen MMS

Marketing director

Julie Leivers

UK headquarters

Havers Hill, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 3BS

Tel: 01723 584141

Fax: 01723 581230

Web site: www.mccain.co.uk