This morning C&C Group announced another set of healthy results, with profits up for the first half of the year.

It also revealed that John Dunsmore, the former Scottish & Newcastle boss called in to reverse the sliding fortunes of Magners in late 2008, is to step down at the end of this year.

Dunsmore can reflect on a job well done. When he came on board Magners was in the doldrums. Rivals had cottoned on and ‘over ice’ had become as much of a cliché as smiling eyes and The Corrs. By this time last year the flagship cider had notched up its first quarter of growth in three years – and it remains on an upward curve.

He’ll be replaced by finance director Stephen Glancey, with that role going to strategy director Kenny Neison. In a conference call with reporters today, the new boss suggested continuity would be the name of the game.

“There is no change in strategy at all,” said Glancey, who worked with Dunsmore at S&N. “You couldn’t put a cigarette paper between John and I over the past 12 years.”

In the meantime, Dunsmore has done his own reputation no harm, shedding a reputation for conservatism with eye-catching deals for Gaymers and Tennent’s, a move that took C&C beyond cider for the first time.

“We achieved a lot in terms of turning the business around,” Dunsmore told reporters today. “I remain a significant shareholder so I’ll be giving them grief if they don’t deliver the goods.”

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