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Drinkers across the world are falling out of love with Guinness

But the iconic stout is making a comeback in its home country.

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GUINNESS CONTINUES TO fall out of favour with international drinkers – despite the iconic stout making a comeback at home after half a decade in the doldrums.

Multinational drinks company Diageo, which owns the Guinness brand, today said its worldwide Guinness sales went down 4% for the last six months of last year when compared to the same time in 2013.

The company sold 10 million casks of the Irish stout in 2014, compared to 11.1 million over the 2011-12 financial year.

However Guinness sales in Ireland were up for the first time in more than six years, according to Diageo’s half-yearly update today.

The company’s CEO, Ivan Menezes, said: ”I am pleased that we have returned Guinness to growth (in Ireland) through good execution and the on-trade.”

During the period, the company also launched its Guinness blonde American lager which Menezes said “had a great reception” in the US.

We have also complimented the brand credentials of Guinness with another offering – Guinness 1759, which is focused on the fine dining and gifting opportunity,” Menezes said.

Guinness owner's new brewery opened Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes and Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the opening of the new Guinness brewery last year Niall Carson / PA Wire/Press Association Images Niall Carson / PA Wire/Press Association Images / PA Wire/Press Association Images

Goodbye Bushmills and other news

Diageo, whose brands also include Johnnie Walker whiskey, Smirnoff vodka and Tanqueray gin, said its total sales and profits were both down when compared to the same period in 2013.

Diageo took in £5.9 billion (€7.9 billion) for an operating profit of £1.67 billion (€2.24 billion) for the six months.

Europe is worth about 25% of the company’s sales with the largest share, 32%, coming from North America, where it sells spirits including the Captain Morgan brand of rum.

The company, which was formed in 1997 when Guinness and UK firm GrandMet merged, offloaded its Bushmills Irish whiskey business in November as part of a swap deal with Mexico’s Jose Cuervo for the Don Julio tequila brand.

Menezes said Bushmills was “a good brand”, but getting rid of it was the “right strategic decision” as it concentrated on fast-growing markets like India.

READ: Tour the Guinness Storehouse from the comfort of your own home >

READ: And the busiest night for the Dáil bar last year was… >

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61 Comments
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    Mute Joan Featherstone
    Favourite Joan Featherstone
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    Jun 17th 2014, 1:37 PM

    Congrats, well done! A subject near to my heart.

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    Mute James Mcguinness
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    Jun 17th 2014, 12:21 PM

    Make sure you tell him no testing on children now!

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    Mute Rupert McPupkin
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    Jun 17th 2014, 1:56 PM

    James, I think your comment went over the heads of most people – I know where you’re coming from though.

    Wellcome or Wellcome Trust, now merged into GlaxoSmithKline, is the pharmaceutical company that mistakenly administered CATTLE vaccines to 80 babies and children in “mother and baby” homes in Ireland.

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    Mute denis shields
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    Jun 17th 2014, 2:21 PM

    Wellcome Trust is not the Wellcome Foundation. Sir Henry Wellcome used a whole lot of money he got from the Wellcome Foundation (which was the pharmaceutical company now merged with GSK) to set up an independent medical charity called the Wellcome Trust which is not controlled by pharmaceutical companies. They fund various kinds of medical research. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellcome_Trust
    for more details.

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    Mute Rupert McPupkin
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    Jun 17th 2014, 2:42 PM

    Denis,

    The Trust only “divested itself of any interest in pharmaceuticals” in 1995 so, as far as I’m concerned, Wellcome Trust was indeed linked to Wellcome Foundation during the cattle vaccine “studies” in “mother and baby” homes, all of which were carried out prior to 1995.

    So, I’m sorry – I’m not convinced by your explanation.
    .

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