C&C Group has bought the Innis & Gunn beer and lager brand out of administration for £4.5m ($6m) as part of a pre-packaged sale.
London-listed C&C Group, the maker of Tennent’s larger and Magners cider, had been a minority shareholder and brewing partner in Edinburgh-based Innis & Gunn and now owns the brand and global intellectual property outright.
“The acquisition represents an attractive opportunity for the group to further broaden its branded portfolio with a premium well-established brand,” Dublin-headquartered C&C Group said in a statement today (6 March).
“The integration of Innis & Gunn into the group is expected to present a very low execution risk, with the brand being fully absorbed into the group’s existing operational, commercial and supply chain infrastructure.
"As a result, the board anticipates a rapid operational transition and minimal disruption to the business."
C&C Group took an 8% interest in Innis & Gunn in 2021 for an undisclosed sum.
Private-equity firm L Catterton also invested in the business in 2017, taking a 27.9% share for £15m. Innis & Gunn, set up in 2003, is still listed as a current investment on the investor’s website. Just Drinks has asked L Catterton to confirm whether it still holds a stake in the business.
C&C Group added it will seek to “unlock brand value with minimal requirement for incremental overhead or capital investment” in Innis & Gunn, which produced beers, including cask ales and IPAs, and lager under its own brand.
Roger White, the CEO of C&C Group, said: “We have worked with Innis & Gunn for many years and whilst it’s under difficult circumstances, we are delighted to bring the brand fully into our portfolio.
“This is a compelling and highly synergistic opportunity to save a well-loved brand for which we currently brew most of the product. Our existing brewing and route-to-market platform allows us to integrate the brand effectively and quickly, supporting the ongoing supply of products to customers and consumers.”
White added the brand acquisition is expected to “make a small positive contribution to our overall financial performance” in the 2027 fiscal year.
Innis & Gunn's administrators, FTI Consulting, said that "redundancies will need to be made" but did not say how many jobs might be at risk, with "a small number" of staff being kept on to assist with the closing of the brewery business and taprooms.
It added that a mixture of factors, such as "a decline in consumer spending and rising cost pressures" had put "significant" pressure on margin and liquidity which meant Innis & Gunn "could no longer continue to trade".
Joint administrators from FTI Consulting were appointed today, with the pre-packaged sale of Innis & Gunn's brand and global IP taking place "immediately upon their appointment", the management consulting firm said.
Reflecting on the news, Dougal Sharp, who founded Innis & Gunn in 2003, said: "I’m deeply sorry to everyone affected - particularly my colleagues who have lost their jobs and the shareholders who believed in what we were building. It’s been a bruising process for everyone.
He added: "While this outcome is not what any of us hoped for, I’m glad the brand has found a home with C&C Group. We’ve worked closely with the team for many years and they have the scale, distribution and experience to take Innis & Gunn forward.
"Despite today’s news, I remain incredibly proud of the brand, the beer and the community that grew around it. I truly hope the next chapter allows Innis & Gunn to fulfil the potential we always believed it had.”
The most recent results – for the six months to 31 August issued in October – show C&C Group generated sales of €825.7m ($956.1m), down 4% in its current 2026 financial year.
Adjusted EBITDA grew 2% to €58.1m, while adjusted profit before tax climbed 12% to €32.1m. Basic EPS increased 64% to 5.4 European cents.
C&G Group’s share price was up 1.8% at 111.20pence as of 3:31pm GMT in London today.
In 2025, sales rose 13% to €1.67bn. Adjusted EBITDA increased 18.3% to €112m and profit before tax was 17.1% higher at €55.9m. Basic EPS was 3.5 cents.
