C&C Group plc and Budweiser Brewing Group U...

Addition of Budweiser and Bud Light gives C&C exclusive distribution of Budweiser Brewing Group’s complete portfolio

C&C Group plc and Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I Strengthen Distribution Partnership Across the Island of Ireland

C&C Group Plc

C&C Group plc (‘C&C’ or the 'Group’), a leading, vertically integrated premium drinks company which manufactures, markets and distributes branded beer, cider, wine, spirits and soft drinks across the UK and Ireland, and Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I (‘Budweiser Brewing Group’), a proud part of AB InBev, today announce the expansion of their existing multi-year partnership, to include exclusive distribution of Budweiser and Bud Light on the island of Ireland.

With the addition of Budweiser and Bud Light, from 01 July 2020, C&C will have responsibility for the sale and distribution of Budweiser Brewing Group’s complete beer brand portfolio across Ireland. C&C and Budweiser Brewing Group will collaborate on the marketing of the portfolio which also includes Stella Artois, Beck’s, Corona, Leffe and Hoegaarden. This will mean an end to Budweiser Brewing Group’s relationship with Diageo in Ireland.

C&C has been working with Budweiser Brewing Group since 2009 and has been responsible for brewing and distributing a selection of the brewer’s brands in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The expanded partnership will see the kegging of Budweiser in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.

The deal will see an enhanced focus on Budweiser throughout Ireland. The lager, AB InBev’s largest brand in Europe and present in 85 countries globally, is poised for further growth following recent launches in France and the Netherlands, while in the UK, Budweiser is the official beer of the Premier League. The brand will be further strengthened by utilising an extensive suite of Budweiser marketing assets.

Tom McCusker, Managing Director of C&C Group Ireland, commented: “This agreement marks an exciting new phase in our partnership with Budweiser Brewing Group. With a portfolio of some of the world’s most iconic beer brands, we look forward to optimising the portfolio and distribution strengths of our two businesses for the benefit of our mutual customers across Ireland”.

Paula Lindenberg, President, Budweiser Brewing Group said: “We are happy to announce today that we’re strengthening our relationship with C&C Group, who is already a close, strategic partner for us. This deal, part of our wider expansion strategy, will utilise C&C’s expertise across Ireland to bring our loved brands, now under one unified portfolio, to even more customers and consumers. As we look to the future, we’ll be working closely to ensure a smooth transition to our customers, and we are hugely grateful to Diageo for a positive working relationship over the years.”

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About C&C Group plc

C&C Group plc is a leading, vertically integrated premium drinks company which manufactures, markets and distributes branded beer, cider, wine, spirits, and soft drinks across the UK and Ireland.

• C&C Group's portfolio of owned/exclusive brands include: Bulmers, the leading Irish cider brand; Tennent's, the leading Scottish beer brand; Magners the premium international cider brand; as well as a range of fast-growing, super-premium and craft ciders and beers, such as Heverlee, Menabrea and Orchard Pig.
• C&C Group has own brand and contract manufacturing/packing operations in Co. Tipperary, Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland; and Vermont, United States, where it manufactures Woodchuck, a leading craft cider brand in the United States.
• C&C Group is the No.#1 drinks distributor to the UK and Ireland hospitality sectors. Operating under the Matthew Clark, Bibendum, Tennent's and C&C Gleeson brands, the C&C Group supplies over 35,000 pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, and is a key route-to-market for major international beverage companies.
• C&C Group also has a minority investment in the Admiral Taverns tenanted pub group, which owns over 1,000 pubs across England and Wales and exports its Magners and Tennent's brands to over 60 countries worldwide.

C&C is a FTSE 250 company, headquartered in Dublin and listed on the London Stock Exchange.

About Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I

Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I is the trading name of AB InBev UK Limited, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ABI) and South Africa (JSE: ANB) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I remains a proud part of AB InBev globally. In the UK, Budweiser Brewing Group employs 1,000 people in our three breweries in Magor, South Wales, Samlesbury, Lancashire and Enfield, North London and in our local headquarters in Central London.

We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest natural ingredients. We are proud to offer the UK’s leading premium beer and cider brands, including global brands Budweiser^®, Corona^® and Stella Artois^®; international brands Bud Light^®, Michelob Ultra^®, Beck’s^®, Leffe^®, and Hoegaarden^®; and local champions Bass^® and Boddingtons^®.

Our Dream is to bring people together for a better world. Learn more at: www.budweiserbrewinggroup.co.uk or on Twitter through @BudBrewingUKI

For more information about Anheuser-Busch InBev, please visit www.ABInBev.com.

C&C Group plc
Patrick McMahon, Group Strategy Director
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FTI Consulting
Jonathan Neilan/Paddy Berkery
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Novella Communications
Tim Robertson
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Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I
Maeve Atkins
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