Drinks group C&C has said that its full year operating profit will be in the region of €103m.
In a trading statement released to the Irish Stock Exchange, C&C said that its cider brand Bulmers continues to lose market share in Ireland.
But it added that the "compelling rate" of sale data for Bulmers should prove to be a key feature in performance stabilisation in the coming year.
C&C said that its UK cider brand Magners shipped 1% more in volume terms last year than in 2015.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, the company said that general trading picked up in the last quarter as the impact of stricter drink driving laws fell out of the comparatives.
In the US, the company said the new sales and marketing arrangements with Pabst Brewing Company started on March 1.
It also announced that the relationship will be extended further through the appointment of C&C as exclusive distributor for the US company in Ireland and the UK.
C&C said that trading in the last quarter of the year provides grounds for optimism, adding that it is confident in the earnings prospects of the Group for the fiscal year of 2017.
