Diageo’s net Irish sales down 5%

Drinks giant Diageo, the maker of Guinness and Baileys, has reported a 5% year-on-year fall in net sales at its Irish operations for the first six months of the year.

This was due to further contraction in the alcoholic drinks market, which saw volumes decline by another 1.2% in the 12 months to the end of June.

Despite this, the group’s headline brands — Guinness and Smithwick’s draught — grew value share in the pub trade, with Guinness maintaining a 32% share of the Irish beer market.