Ireland & UK: Guinness loses some market share in home market, enjoys higher demand in the UK

Guinness parent Diageo is concerned at falling sales of the iconic stout in its home market, The Times reported on October 13.

John Kennedy, Diageo president for Europe, Turkey and India, recently told analysts that Guinness had lost some share in Irish pub sales. “So we’re doing a lot of work about how to turn that around,” he said.

The performance in Ireland contrasts with sales in Britain, whose more high-profile drinkers include the Duchess of Cambridge. Draft Guinness grew 5% in Britain last year, which was described as “a super performance in a market that’s flat to declining in the on-trade [pub trade]”.

Kennedy cited the sponsorship of the Six Nations rugby as a factor in growing UK stout sales.