UK: Diageo to cut around 60 jobs in Northern Ireland, outsource some positions to India

Drinks giant Diageo is shedding around 60 jobs in Northern Ireland across a number of functions, with some positions being outsourced to India, MSN reported on September 11.

The Irish News understands that the redundancies will come among customer service staff, and the credit team and trade terms.

Diageo, which owns world-famous brands including Guinness, Harp, Hop House 13, Rockshore, Smithwick’s, Baileys, Roe & Co, Smirnoff, Gordons and Tanqueray, currency employs around 300 people across three sites in Northern Ireland.

These include its beer packaging plant in east Belfast, corporate headquarters in Belfast city centre (which include its GB and Ireland customer service and credit teams), and the Baileys global supply facility at Mallusk, which produces and exports Baileys to over 150 markets worldwide.

A Diageo spokesperson said: “In order to support Diageo’s future growth ambition and to optimise our customer support processes, we propose to consolidate some commercial operations capabilities from Diageo Northern Ireland into our commercial experience centre of excellence in India.

“This proposed transition may impact a number of commercial operations roles at Diageo Northern Ireland, and we are committed to supporting our employees through a comprehensive consultation process and provide support during this transition period.”

Diageo has been an integral part of the community in Northern Ireland for many years as both as a major exporter and employer.

In its most recent published set of account up to June 2024, Diageo Northern Ireland increased its sales by £10m (5%) to £189.8m, while it also reported a 340% increase in profit (up from £2.3m to £7.8m).

At a corporate level, in August Diageo confirmed it plans to extend cost saving plans after revealing a slump in profits following a “challenging year” which saw its former boss leave.

It came as the group saw net sales edge marginally lower amid weaker consumer demand for some spirits as younger people continue to moderate drinking habits.

The London-listed spirits giant said it was seeking to secure £625 million in cost savings, increasing from a previous target of £500 million savings and wanted to shift to “a more agile global operating model” as it seeks to improve its cash flow.