UK: Diageo to open a Guinness brewery in London’s Covent Garden in autumn 2023

‘Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard’ is set to open in London’s Covent Garden in autumn 2023, located on a historic brewing site. The development will create 150 jobs and be a destination for all to enjoy, Diageo announced on January 31.

Old Brewer's Yard first brewed beer back in 1722. 300 years later, Guinness is bringing the site back to life.

The investment to create ‘Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard’ builds on the success of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and the opening of Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh in 2021. It demonstrates the company’s confidence in London and the UK as a go-to destination for tourists and its commitment to the hospitality sector, which employs almost 2 million people in the UK. Guinness sales in Great Britain have grown by over 30% in the last six months and 1 in every 10 pints sold in London is now a Guinness.

The new 50,000 sq ft venue will create up to 150 jobs for the Capital and provide a community space within the Covent Garden area. The site will also become the Southern UK hub of our award-winning Learning for Life Bartending and Hospitality Programme, with an ambition for over 100 London based students to graduate from the ‘Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard’ programme annually. A proportion of the employment opportunities are to be ring-fenced for Learning for Life graduates.

The plans for the new site include:

A world-leading microbrewery which will produce limited edition beers and offer guests tours with Guinness beer specialists to taste/enjoy and learn about the iconic stout, its storied history and ambitions for the future.

Event spaces and central covered courtyard hosting events across food, drink, the arts and special cultural occasions, which will be open for use by the local community.

Guinness store selling rare items via collaborations and partnerships bespoke to the London experience.

Chance to try exciting new brews, some only available at ‘Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard’.

Rotating cuisine and events at a stunning open-fire kitchen, restaurant and 360 degrees glass rooftop space within the development.

In line with Diageo’s ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ action plan, the newest home for Guinness will be carbon neutral by 2030 and accessible to all.

Key to the new site will be a community programme. A similar programme took place during the pandemic at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore, USA where they created 500 loaves of “Brewers Bread” every week using ingredients sourced from within the brewery and donated them to the local Maryland Food Bank.

Alongside Guinness, the company is investing £30 mln in helping pubs, bars and restaurants in Great Britain recover from the pandemic through its “Raising the Bar” scheme, launched in 2020. Over 30,000 outlets across the country have benefitted from the scheme to date.

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