C&C unifies brand stable

Magners owner C&C Group has brought together its three separate businesses in a bid to streamline operations ahead of some “exciting developments” in 2015.

The move means that Magners GB, The Shepton Mallet Cider Mill and International Wine Services will now trade in England and Wales under the single entity of C&C Brands.

The new division incorporates the following brands: Magners, Chaplin & Cork’s, Blackthorn, K, Ye Olde English, Natch, Woodchuck, Gaymers and Montano for cider; Menabrea and Tennents for beer; Oliver & Greg’s, Trulli and Moondarra for wine; and Odessa Vodka and Squires Gin for spirits.

Announcing the decision, C&C Brands’ managing director Andrea Pozzi described it as “a logical step to create a single team when we are promoting all of our brands to a broadly common customer base.”

In addition, Pozzi noted: “We can also benefit from a more efficient operational structure, principally by amalgamating sales and marketing personnel. We have some exciting developments to come in 2015 which, under the new structure, we will be better placed to promote.”

The news follows a warning at the start of this year by C&C Group that 2014/15 operating profit was due to be €10 million lower than expected after sales fell by nearly 10% in England and Wales in the first three months of its financial year.

Positioning this latest move as part of a wider drive “to build long-term sustainable growth” for the group’s brand portfolio, Pozzi concluded: “Quite simply, having sales and marketing execution all under one roof will enhance our brand focus and free up additional capital for further investment in our brands.”