Cider maker C&C hopes for a long hot summer as shares rise and annual profits hit €77m
Revenue at the group, which also owns brands including Tennent's, Orchard Pig and Five Lamps, was flat at €1.66bn for the year ended February 28. Its pre-exceptional operating profit jumped 29pc to €77.1m however, which was also in line with analysts' forecasts.
The drinks firm saw Tennent's and Bulmers secure market share gains during the year, it noted.
The key summer trading period lies ahead, and tourism always helps sales
In Ireland, C&C said that on-trade volumes of long alcoholic drinks were in line with last year's numbers, with value growth of 9pc that reflected pricing activity and growth.
'The market saw a shift towards stout, premium beer and ready-to-drink categories, with standard lager and cider seeing share declines,' it added.
'Positively, tourism provided a welcome tailwind to the industry, with international visitor spend estimated to have increased 13pc in the year.'
In the off-trade sector, long alcoholic drink volumes fell 5pc (2pc by value). Cider category volume and value declined 6pc and 3pc respectively in the year.
'The large supermarket operators have responded with increased targeted advertising campaigns and deep discounting promotions as actions to stimulate category volume,' noted C&C.
C&C also owns the Matthew Clark-Bibendum distribution business in the UK.
It said the unit saw 'recovering customer momentum' in the year, with numbers of customers up 8pc.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite the group's optimism for 2025, it said that total employment costs in the UK will rise in the coming year – due to the increase in Britain's national minimum wage, and in employer national insurance contributions.
It said the planned Extended Producer Responsibility Levy in the UK, a tax on producers' packaging, will also have an impact.
Tax and the Deposit Return Scheme that is already in effect in Ireland 'will cause further price inflation, as these costs and taxes are passed on to customers and consumers,' it said.
'With the key summer trading period ahead, we are executing our plans for the year, supporting our customers, investing in innovation and brand-building, people, and systems, whilst continuing to simplify the business and control costs,' said chief executive Roger White.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
13-08-2025
- Irish Independent
Fifty new bottle return bin surrounds introduced in Dublin
As part of the next stage of the project's expansion, new surrounds have been added to 'Big Belly bins', the large, enclosed public bins operated with a foot pedal. The newly designed bin surrounds can hold approximately six cans or bottles on each side. The initiative aims to make recycling more visible and accessible, while reducing litter. The project is being co-funded by Re-turn and Dublin City Council. The new surrounds are located in high-footfall areas including Smithfield Plaza, the Quays, and Temple Bar. This expansion builds on an earlier rollout of 80 bin surrounds in the city centre, and an additional 24 installed at Dún Laoghaire Harbour. According to Re-turn, containers left on the bin surrounds are collected on average within just 16 minutes. A public survey conducted by Re-turn found that 79pc of people support 'on-the-go' recycling schemes and would welcome similar initiatives in their own areas. Barry Woods, Head of Waste Management of Dublin City Council, said he is confident the scheme will create an opportunity for change. 'Re-turn's bin surrounds provide a visible, accessible, and practical way for the public to recycle on the go, reducing landfill waste and environmental pollution while supporting Ireland's strategy for a circular economy,' he said. 'Over 1.7 billion plastic bottles and cans have been recycled through the Deposit Return Scheme since it was introduced in February 2024, a testament to the commitment of the Irish people to sustainability.' CEO of Re-turn, Ciaran Foley, said they are happy to collaborate with Dublin City Council on the initiative. 'We are committed to providing the public with convenient and visible recycling options, and the bin surrounds pilot scheme is successfully delivering on that promise,' he said. Lord Mayor Ray McAdam added that the scheme was a 'significant step forward to cleaner streets'. 'Dublin is leading the way with Re-turn's bin surrounds on Big Belly bins across the city centre. This simple, effective idea is already making a visible difference,' he said. 'The strong public support shows a real appetite for on-the-move recycling. It's a big step towards cleaner streets, a greener city, and a stronger circular economy for everyone.' Galway city and Carlow town have been identified as the next locations for the bin surround programme.
The Irish Sun
11-08-2025
- The Irish Sun
The €16.99 Aldi Ireland buy that ‘keeps your car clean' with 3 accessories – and it comes with extra perks for travel
ALDI Ireland is set to sell a unique cleaning product at a bargain price - and they're excellent for travelling. The bargain supermarket has stocked the shelves of the popular middle aisle with a range of new products. 4 Aldi Ireland is selling a perfect product for cleaning your car Credit: Getty 4 The cordless vacuum can clean hard-to-reach areas Credit: Aldi Ireland 4 It's priced at €16.99 Credit: Aldi Ireland The Ride+Go Cordless Car Vacuum is priced at €16.99. It is designed to keep your car sparkling clean as it can solve residual dust in the corners and crevices of your car. It is equipped with the HEPA filter, which can be repeatedly cleaned. The product ensures that at least 99 per cent of dust, pollen, mould, bacteria and any airborne particles are removed from your car. The lightweight and durable machine has a transparent dust bucket that can show the users how much space is left during the cleaning process. The content in the dust bucket can be poured out with a twist. And those who are conscious of the noise level will be glad to know that it has a low decibel noise level, meaning it wouldn't be as loud as the usual vacuums. It has an LED lighting function which notifies you if the cordless vacuum requires a charge or not before your deep car clean. The universal Type-C charging cable can charge the vacuum, which is already included in the product. I bought huge swimming pool in Aldi Ireland at bargain price - it's perfect for heatwave and best money I've ever spent Customers also get three blowing accessories which can inflate the inflatable bed, inflatable pillow, swimming ring and so on, making it easier for your travels. The product is only available in black. Shoppers can now purchase the bargain cleaning machine in stores nationwide. However, fans are warned that it is only available while stocks last. The range also offers the Ride+Go All-In-One Car Cleaning Brush for just €9.99. It is designed to keep the exterior of the car sparkling clean. Shoppers can choose from Chenille Brush or PET Brush. Each brush has its own purpose. The Chenille Brush can remove the excess dirt and bird poo that was caught during the drive. And the PET Brush can remove the pet hairs from your car. However, it does not include a bucket or car washing solutions, meaning shoppers must pay an extra euro to clean their car at home. 4 The range has a lot of new additions for cleaning the car Credit: Aldi Ireland
Sunday World
09-08-2025
- Sunday World
Irish consumers turn their back on €66.7m as they fail to cash in on Deposit Return Scheme
The annual report shows Re-turn recorded revenues of €114.4m in 2024 Irish consumers last year turned their back on €66.7 million when they failed to cash in their deposits for soft drink containers through the Government's Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). That is according to the 2024 annual report for Re-turn which shows that the failure by consumers to redeem the €66m worth in deposits for their soft drink containers was the chief reason behind the State backed firm to record a pre-tax surplus of €51.3m for 2024. Established by Government, Re-Turn went live with its Deposit Return Scheme operations on February 1st 2024 with the aim to significantly increase the recycling rates of bottles and cans. Last year, 877.85m containers were returned made up of 433.2m plastic bottles and 444.6m cans. The annual report shows Re-turn recorded revenues of €114.4m in 2024. This included the €66.7m in unredeemed deposits and €47.7m made up of €17.2m from the sale of material and €30.5m from 'producer fees'. The annual report discloses that the income from unredeemed deposits has resulted in a VAT settlement by Re-turn of €23.7m. . News in 90 Seconds - Aug 9th The company's 2024 costs totalled €62.2m made up of direct collection and recycling costs of €46.5m and administrative expenses of €1.5.7m which included a spend of €4.6m on 'marketing, communications, and public awareness'. The report states that the €66.7m reflects the recognition of unredeemed deposits for the financial year and 'this is after a €36.5m estimate of deposits expected to be returned post year end'. The report states that 'unredeemed deposits are an expected and routine scenario for deposit return schemes and it was anticipated that in the initial transition period redemptions would be low and therefore there would be a high level of unredeemed deposits. The report states that "as a not-for-profit organisation, in the early stages of our maturity, the fees from unredeemed containers are being reinvested in a number of ways". These include paying off initial scheme set-up costs; infrastructure development; consumer education campaigns and contributing to our legally required contingency reserve The report adds that income from unredeemed deposits 'is expected to significantly reduce as the scheme reaches its targeted redemptions of 90% in the coming years'. The report states that 'in the long term, should unredeemed deposits be higher than forecast, we would support initiatives that drive increased adoption of the scheme as well as investing in broader innovative projects designed to further the country's circular economy strategy'. The report states that Re-turn closed the year with a cash balance of €89.8m. The report states that this cash figure will reduce significantly in 2025 when several significant draw-downs are scheduled and after accounting for these factors the adjusted cash balance would reduce to approximately €32m. The significant draw-downs include a VAT settlement on unredeemed deposits of €23.7m; a provision of €13.8m for Re-turn's contingency reserve fund; a settlement of the remaining €11.7m balance of the facility agreement with Bank of Ireland grant settlement of c.€3.2m to retailers in respect of 2024 and a provision of €5.4m for corporation tax arising on surplus in the scheme. In comments attached to the report, CEO of Re-turn, Ciaran Foley has stated: 'Thanks to the incredible buy-in and adoption from the Irish public, 877 million containers were returned through DRS in 2024, equating to an average 66% post transition period recycling rate. He said: 'The seasonality of the soft drinks market was reflected in some even higher months, such as in August when the return rate reached 75%. Every 1% increase equates to around 19 million containers, and we recorded some daily returns of over 5 million products over the Christmas period. Chair of Re-turn, Tony Keohane stated that the launch of Ireland's Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in February 2024 marked a defining milestone in the country's journey toward a more sustainable future. He said: 'From a standing start in Autumn 2022, the scheme collected more than 877 million drinks containers in its first 11 months. In that short time, we've seen Irish consumers recycle more bottles and cans than ever before and do so in a way that produces high quality recyclate, helping build a truly circular economy.'
