RESULTS: Growth in the spirits business offset a decline in beer sales to allow Guinness UDV Ireland, the Irish arm of Diageo, to increase operating profits in the half-year to the end of December by 5 per cent to €138 million. Sales were ahead 1 per cent in the period at €834 million.
Guinness assistant managing director Mr Clive Brownlee said the figures were in line with expectations.
The best performances came from Smirnoff and Baileys Irish Cream, where sales volumes were up 5 per cent and 8 per cent respectively. Globally, Baileys has become the number nine spirits brand, the first Irish drinks brand to achieve this distinction. Baileys sells 5.5 million cases - some 66 million bottles - a year, and recently announced a €64 million investment in a new plant in Belfast.
Overall, volumes fell 1 per cent with the growth in the spirits business offsetting a 2 per cent decline in beer sales. While Guinness stout maintained its share of a declining market, Budweiser volumes were up 3 per cent and Carlsberg grew 2 per cent.
One star of the Irish business was the new Storehouse in the Guinness brewery - developed at a cost of €30 million. In its first year, the Storehouse had 600,000 visitors, compared to 480,000 visitors in its predecessor the Guinness Hop Store. The Storehouse is now the Republic's number one attraction in terms of visitor numbers, Guinness has said.
