The maker of Magners and Bulmers cider says it is losing £6.2million a month with pubs and restaurants closed in lockdown, with £4.5m going on furloughed staff.
The Irish group C&C has now focused on sales through big stores and off-licences in the so-called off-trade market instead.
Total sales by volume of Magners in Britain slumped 7 per cent in April and May, but it enjoyed a 25 per cent surge in the off-trade.
Sales of its Bulmers Irish cider tumbled 16 per cent in the past two months, though off-trade soared by 62 per cent.
Pubs and restaurants have remained shuttered across Ireland since mid March and late March in the UK and are not expected to open until early July in Britain to control the spread of the pandemic.
Stewart Gilliland, C&C Group interim executive chairman, said: “The ongoing closure of the hospitality sector has material implications for our business and earnings potential, with approximately 80 per cent of our revenue derived from the on-trade channel.
“An emerging trend from this shutdown however has been an immediate shift in consumption dynamics, resulting in increased demand in the off-trade channel.
"To capitalise on this behavioural shift, we have reallocated resources behind our take-home proposition.”
The details of lockdown trading came as it posted a 12.1 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £92.8m for the year to February 29.
Net revenues for the year rose 7.8 per cent to £1.5 billion.
In Britain, operating profits lifted 1.9 per cent over the year to £38.8m.
But sales by volume dropped 2.4 per cent for Magners and 2.7 per cent for its Tennent’s lager range as it failed to match the performance from a year earlier, which was boosted by the sunny weather and football World Cup.
Total cider volumes across its brands fell 6.4 per cent in Britain, it added.
