Europe: Guinness gains

Guinness was spurred back into growth in Great Britain and Ireland, thanks to innovations such as ‘The Brewers Project.’ This initiative, launched last year, gives brewers at the St. James’ Gate brewery in Dublin the chance to explore new recipes and re-work old ones.

For example, Guinness Dublin Porter and Guinness West Indies Porter were concocted from recipes found in 1700s and 1800s brewers’ diaries. Guinness West Indies Porter originates from an 1801 diary entry on the first Guinness brewed with long sea journeys to the Caribbean in mind.   

In Europe Diageo has also been working on its route to consumer: increasing the number of sales people by 30% and the number of outlets stocking Diageo brands by 60%.

Russia struggled in a volatile economic environment: net sales declined 14% thanks to destocking among distributors and the trend of consumers trading down. However, scotch and rum bucked the trend with Diageo gaining share in these categories. White Horse, Black & White, and Captain Morgan were among the brands doing well.