NEWS RELEASE:
October 29, 2008
 
Allan Candy IT Transition Leads to Gold Award for Metafore
 
Mississauga, ON — The Allan Candy Company announced today that the 2008 Channel Elite Gold Award for “Best Managed Services Solution” has been won by Metafore, Allan Candy’s outsourced IT partner, for the work completed on Allan Candy’s IT Transition.
 
Metafore’s winning entry was a result of the design, development and implementation of an end-to-end managed IT services solution provided to The Allan Candy Company Limited. The solution implemented by Metafore spans from end-user desk-side support through complete network monitoring, management and tuning.
 
“Being a mid-sized independent confectionery manufacturer, Allan candy wanted to focus its resources on innovating and winning in the core confectionery space, not on developing IT services and capabilities”, said Steven Diakowsky, Allan Candy’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Metafore was able to design and implement a complete turnkey IT solution, then manage it all virtually, accomplishing this within extremely tight transition timelines and without business interruption. It was truly a remarkable achievement, by an outstanding IT partner.”
 
“We are extremely proud to accept this award. This was truly a team effort, involving Metafore working in close partnership with Allan Candy’s management team. It speaks not only to the breadth and depth of Metafore’s IT expertise but, most importantly, to our ability to respond to customers’ complex business needs”, said David Kelly, Metafore Vice-President and General Manager, Ontario.
 
The awards Channel Elite Award event, now in its sixth year, is hosted by Canadian Dealer News, Canada’s leading IT channel publication. Winners were announced at the national award ceremony held in Woodbridge, Ontario.
 
About Allan Candy
The Allan Candy Company Limited is a leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and sugar confectionery products. Allan Candy markets such iconic brands as Allan Big Foot, Hot Lips and Peter Rabbit. Allan is a leader in the Easter novelty chocolate segment and the Canadian candy cane market with a variety of products sold under the Allan brand. Allan Candy’s offerings delivers to candy-lovers a wide assortment of sugar confectionery in the soft, toffee and hard candy formats. In addition, Allan leverages its brands, marketplace scale and confectionery and nut expertise to develop and deliver a substantial range of confectionery products to address the health and well-being needs of today’s consumer.
 
The Allan Candy Company Limited was founded in 1931. The company offers products through confectionery distributors and retailers in Canada and the United States. The Allan Candy Company Limited is based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and is privately owned by ReichmannHauer Capital Partners. For more information visit www.allancandy.com.
 
About Metafore
Metafore, a division of Hartco Income Fund, has over 20 years experience delivering IT solutions to private and public sector organizations of every size. With a team of more than 800 associates, operations throughout Canada, and access to a network of 1200 certified technical resources from coast to coast, Metafore is one of Canada’s leading information technology solution providers. Metafore designs, supplies and installs complete IT infrastructure solutions and offers ongoing technical support and advanced professional services. For more information, please visit Metafore online at www.metafore.ca.
 
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CORPORATE AFFAIRS CONTACT:
Amanda Gaffar, Executive Assistant
The Allan Candy Company Limited
Tel: (905) 281.7870
Fax: (905) 270.7397
Email: Amanda.gaffar@allancandy.com