(Reuters) -Irish drinks maker C&C Group Plc said on Friday its December sales lagged expectations, as renewed curbs in the UK and Ireland due to rising cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant hurt beverage supplies to restaurants and pubs.

Bulmers cider, Tennent beer and Bulmers cider are both made in Dublin. Earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 depend on progress with curbs. Tennent’s shares were also warned by the Dublin-based firm that they could lose 3.6% of their London-listed shares.

C&C, however, added it had managed to eke out a “modest profit” during the holiday month, thanks to its cost cutting drive.

Number of shoppers in Britain deteriorated sharply in December, while government advice https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-says-12-deaths-104-people-hospitalised-by-omicron-2021-12-20 for people to limit social contacts in the run-up to Christmas left pubs and restaurants largely empty during what should be one of their busiest periods.

Cost cuts, along with the return of customers to hospitality venues during the September-November period and higher prices of drinks helped C&C witness a robust third quarter, it said.

In December, C&C managed to deliver just 64% of beverage volumes to “on-trade” customers, compared with an expectation of 90%.

According to the company, it had stated in October that they expected an annual operating profit between 50 and 55 million euros (between $56.5 million and $62.2 million). This was for fiscal 2022.

($1 = 0.8845 euros)