Guinness sales continue to fall

THE smoking ban and a shift to drinking at home left sales of Guinness flat in the first half of the year.

The brewer said sales of the black stuff have fallen once again and that the move to staying in rather than going to the pub will continue to impact on volumes, which fell 6% between January and June.

Sales of the company’s other key brands, which include Budweiser, Carlsberg, Smithwicks and Smirnoff vodka, declined over the period. Sales of spirits also dropped, though the company blamed this on the hike in duty since December 2002.