About Mcvities
McVitie's holds the distinguished position of being the United Kingdom's best-selling biscuit manufacturer, with a heritage stretching back nearly two centuries to its founding in Scotland in 1830. From the original Digestive biscuit created in 1892 to the beloved Jaffa Cakes launched in 1927, McVitie's has created countless British biscuit classics that remain staples in over 75% of UK households today. The brand produces an astonishing 52 chocolate digestives every second, with over 71 million packets consumed annually. The McVitie's story began when Robert McVitie, born in Dumfries in 1809, opened a provision shop on Rose Street in Edinburgh in 1839. His son Robert Jr steered the business toward biscuit making, and when Charles Edward Price joined as a salesman in 1875, the partnership McVitie & Price was born. The company's breakthrough came in 1892 when young employee Alexander Grant created the original Digestive biscuit at their St Andrews Biscuit Works in Edinburgh's Gorgie district. The chocolate-coated version followed in 1925, becoming one of Britain's most iconic treats. McVitie & Price merged with Scottish bakery MacFarlane Lang in 1948 to form United Biscuits. In 2014, the company was acquired by Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding, which in 2016 merged its subsidiaries to create pladis, now headquartered in London. Today, pladis operates 27 bakeries in 11 countries, reaching approximately four billion people across 110 countries. McVitie's maintains five UK factories, with the Harlesden site in north-west London producing the famous chocolate digestives. The McVitie's product range encompasses Britain's most beloved biscuit varieties. The Digestive range includes Original, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Caramel, and the new Pink Digestives in Raspberry & Cream flavour. Hobnobs, launched in 1985 with a chocolate variant following in 1987, are made with 100% wholegrain oats and come in original, chocolate, and various flavoured editions. Jaffa Cakes, ranked Britain's best-selling cake or biscuit in 2012, feature the distinctive orange-flavoured sponge with chocolate coating, now available in Hot Honey and other innovative flavours. Rich Tea biscuits, light and crisp, have been a tea-time staple since 1891. Other popular products include Penguin bars, Gold Bars, Ginger Nuts, and Club biscuits. In a significant development for plant-based consumers, McVitie's Original Digestives have recently been reformulated to remove skimmed milk, making them suitable for vegans. This applies to the plain Original Digestives, though chocolate-coated variants and other products may still contain dairy. McVitie's biscuits are NOT gluten-free, as they contain wheat flour as a primary ingredient. Consumers requiring gluten-free digestives should seek alternatives from specialist free-from brands. When comparing McVitie's to competitors like Fox's Biscuits, the market data shows McVitie's dominance. Sales are more than five times those of the next two competitors combined, with brand health scores of 28.1 compared to Fox's 22.5. Consumer surveys show 63% of shoppers have bought McVitie's in the past five years. While McVitie's focuses on traditional British biscuits with mass appeal, Fox's positions itself with more indulgent, premium-style offerings like Crunch Creams and Viennese biscuits. McVitie's products are competitively priced across UK supermarkets. At Tesco, Milk Chocolate Digestives (266g) retail at around £2.25 with Clubcard deals bringing prices to £1.35. Sainsbury's offers Nectar price discounts on multipacks and premium ranges like Victoria Chocolate Creations. New products like Pink Digestives retail around £1.85-£2.35. Multipacks and twin packs offer better value for regular purchasers. For British biscuit lovers, McVitie's remains the definitive choice, combining nearly 200 years of baking expertise with continued innovation. Using Grocefully to compare McVitie's prices across supermarkets ensures you find the best deals on these everyday treats.