Guinness invests millions to fight sales drop

GUINNESS in Ireland is continuing to pump millions into its Irish operations to counter the dip in consumption of the black stuff.

Market sources estimate that last year the group, part of the multinational drinks group Diageo, spent up to 40 million supporting its products in Ireland.

Clive Brownlee, deputy managing director, Guinness UDV Ireland, said the marketing and advertising spend annually in Ireland was very substantial, but refused to confirm the figure. Not all of the money goes on promoting Guinness stout but the group is committed to maintaining its profile and its dominance of the stout market here, he said.