C&C to build Belfast facility

DRINKS and snack food group C&C is to beef up its presence in Northern Ireland by spending €3 million on a new distribution and warehousing facility in Belfast.

The new warehouse, on the Castlereagh Road, in the east of the city, will cover 35,000 square feet and have capacity to store 4 million bottles. Construction is scheduled for completion early next year.

“This investment is confirmation of the confidence C&C has in the strength of the company in Northern Ireland currently and for the future, and is a tremendous boost for all the people who are involved with the company,” said C&C Northern Ireland sales director Norman Trotter.

C&C already has 260 of its 2,000 employees in Northern Ireland. The company concentrates on the drinks sector north of the Border through three divisions - C&C soft drinks; Hollywood & Donnelly, a distributor of soft drinks, wines and spirits to the licensed trade; and Quinns Reihill McKeown, a wholesaler to the licensed trade.

C&C’s northern division distributes brands such as Club Orange, Ballygowan and Pepsi, as well as Mi-Wadi orange, Carling lager and Magners cider.

The new facility will consolidate the operations of the three divisions in one location.

The company, which floated on the Dublin and London stock exchanges earlier this year, will issue a trading statement later this week on trading conditions over the summer months.

Northern building firm Heron Brothers has been awarded the contract to build the new warehouse.