THE leading three British directors of Irish drinks group, C&C shared€1.73 million in pay in their first full year in charge; according to the group’s just published annual report.

THE head of the state tourism board has warned that the Government’s controversial air travel tax will result in net losses of more than €30m to the Irish economy each year.

THE Government has raked in almost €58 million from the controversial air travel tax in five months.

A group set up by the Government to help Ireland’s tourism industry survive the global recession is recommending the scrapping of the new €10 tax on airline passengers.

WHEN C&C appointed John Dunsmore, the former boss of Scottish and Newcastle, as its new head, sceptics wanted to know how he and other S&N executives appointed with him would adapt to their new-found roles at the head of Ireland’s struggling cider group.

THE makers of Bulmers and Magners cider, C&C, saw 16% wiped off its market value yesterday.

THE four former directors of drinks group, C&C who left the business last year as part of its management shake-up – including ex-chief executive, Maurice Pratt – shared a combined €4.73 million in compensation payoffs upon their departure, according to the company’s latest annual report.

INCREASED competition and weak consumer demand for cider means drinks’ group C&C will report operating profit that will miss analysts estimates for the full year.

REVENUE from overseas visitors to Ireland has fallen almost 12% behind targets for tourism, according to a report.

DRINKS group C&C’s move to replace former chief executive Maurice Pratt, with the former head of Scottish & Newcastle, could be just the tonic needed to boost the struggling Magners brand.

John Dunsmore has been announced as the new CEO of C&C Group. He replaces Maurice Pratt, who resigned from the position last month.

Drinks company C&C boss Maurice Pratt has resigned, the company announced today.

OVER the past few weeks, considerable media coverage has been provided to a small number of “high profile” business people who are calling for a no vote on the Lisbon Treaty.

Drinks manufacturer C&C Group , today announced its results for the year ended February 29, 2008.

C&C has announced a 33% fall in its operating profit for the six months of the year up to August 31, 2007.

THE makers of Bulmers cider, alcoholic drinks group C&C, has pointed to recent bad weather as the primary reason for a further €700 million drop in the value of the company.

C&C’s board members all saw significant increases in their pay packages over the course of the drinks group’s last financial year — which ran to the end of February.

SOARING sales of Magners cider in Britain have pushed up C&C profits to a record €190 million.

Shares in drinks maker C&C Group sank more than 10% today after the company warned it was facing higher costs as it struggles to cope with soaring UK demand for its flagship Magners cider.

The ISEQ gained 42.88 points to close at 8926.91 today.

C&C Group’s CEO Maurice Pratt was named Business Person of the Year at the 2006 Business and Finance Awards last night.

BROWN Thomas Group has appointed Maurice Pratt to the board of directors.

C&C GROUP is looking to strengthen its spirits and liqueurs division through bolt-on acquisitions.

Irish drinks group C&C toasted the staggering popularity of Magners in the UK today after the summer heatwave helped double profits at its cider arm.

C&C Group have announced that it has agreed to sell Tayto Crisps Limited to Largo Food Exports Limited for €62.3m.

The ISEQ fell 99.87 points to 7189.42 on the day that the European Central Bank raised interest rates by 0.25%.

EIRCOM directors stand to make €7.8 million from the sale to Babcock & Brown.

ISEQ-listed food and drink manufacturer, marketer and distributor C&C has reported operating profit up 13% to €124.7m for the year ended February 28, 2006.

BANK OF SCOTLAND (IRELAND) has made some changes to its senior management team. Following the recent appointment of Maurice Pratt as chairman, the bank is gearing itself for further growth in its business banking operations, and to continue to develop its retail banking proposition.

STRONG cider sales helped push up first-half earnings at C&C Group, offsetting falling profits at its Tayto crisps division.

Drinkers swapping traditional tipples for Bulmers and Magners cider ensured drinks firm C&C Group celebrated a summer of sales and profits growth today.

FORMER AIB chief executive Michael Buckley is to head the new group that will advise the Government on enterprise policy, Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin announced yesterday.

TAYTO workers last night voted to reject a redundancy deal which would have capped the size of payments to long-serving members.

C&C Group plc, manufacturer, marketer and distributor of drinks and snacks in Ireland, has announced a re-organisation of its snacks division Tayto.

EIRCOM chief executive Phil Nolan was paid €1.2 million last year, it emerged yesterday.

THREE indigenous food and drink brands are to be marketed in a €2.7m newspaper advertising campaign at no cost to the owners.

EXECUTIVE directors at drinks and snack company C&C received a 38% increase in pay and benefits last year with chief executive Maurice Pratt’s pay package hitting €1.14 million, up 36%.

DRINKS and snack food group C&C says its Bulmers and Magners cider brands will be the main drivers of profit growth.

Operating profit at drinks and snacks group C&C was up 3.5% to €115.1m in the year to the end of February, the company said today in the group's first annual results as a public, listed company.

Top politicians and business people have been lined up for one of the most prestigious events in the Irish business calendar next week.

IMI’s 2005 conference is designed to ensure the country stays in the top flight of global economic performers in the years ahead.

SALES of Bulmer's cider grew by 4% in the six months to the end of August, outperforming the rest of the alcohol market, which has seen volumes decline because of the smoking ban and a shift to drinking at home.