C&C Group buys Innis & Gunn brand out of administration in £4.5m deal

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 09 March, 2026

Drinks giant C&C Group – owner of Matthew Clark and Bibendum – has bought Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn's brand in a pre-pack administration for £4.5m.

The deal gave the Group the rights to both the Innis & Gunn name and its intellectual property.

As a result of the acquisition, all 105 staff at the brewer’s pubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and its brewery in Perth will be made redundant, as reported by the BBC.

Read more: Popular Welsh indie Cheers set to close Mumbles shop

According to the broadcaster, Dougal Gunn Sharp said he was “deeply sorry” for the job losses and the impact on shareholders, while adding that he was “immensely proud” of everything his team had achieved.

Roger White, CEO of C&C Group added: “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.”

Sharp founded Innis & Gunn in Edinburgh in 2003 and it grew into one of the UK’s most successful craft beer companies.

A significant proportion of the brewer’s beers were already produced and packaged at C&C Group’s Wellpark Brewery in Glasgow, as part of a manufacturing agreement going back to 2010.

In a deal to renew this relationship in 2021, the Group acquired an 8% stake in Innis & Gunn.

After that agreement, C&C also began to distribute the brewer’s beers in the on-trade, wholesale and free-trade channels (although Innis & Gunn remained responsible for national pub chains, the off-trade and international markets).

In a statement released by C&C Group, it said that the acquisition presents a very low ‘execution risk’, with minimal disruption to business and little capital investment required as the brand is absorbed into existing infrastructure.

Commenting on the portfolio expansion, White explained: “This is a compelling 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.”

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