Drinks giant Diageo boosts sales and profits January 31, 2019 Drinks conglomerate Diageo boosted both profit and sales in the first-half of its financial year and announced a £660m share buyback. The maker of drink brands such as Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whisky, said net sales increased 5.8 per cent to £6.9bn with organic growth partially offset by unfavourable exchange. Reported operating profit was [...]
Diageo looks to key American market as it hopes price hikes will raise spirits January 27, 2019 Drinks giant Diageo will be hoping for a strong performance in the US when it reveals its results later this week, with price hikes expected to boost margins. The British brewer, whose brands include Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, will be eyeing a boost in sales of vodka and whiskey in the crucial North American [...]
Brexit, ad fraud and #MeToo – what does the future year hold for the marketing industry? January 7, 2019 We are out of the cold December of 2018, and have now entered the, well, even colder January of 2019. Last year was a momentous one for the marketing industry – there was the fall and rise again of adland stalwart Martin Sorrell; the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) finally came into force; [...]
Mark Kleinman: Come in Houston, just as UK audit reforms bite December 14, 2018 Talk about a hospital pass. Richard Houston, Deloitte’s consulting chief, might be forgiven for feeling a bit like Theresa May this week. Houston’s is the solitary name on a ballot open to partners at the Big Four accountancy firm’s UK operation as it seeks to elect a successor to David Sproul, its chief executive for [...]
Bottoms up: Diageo sells off Seagram’s and other booze brands for $550m to US rival Sazerac November 12, 2018 British brewer Diageo is set to shift 19 brands out of its drinks cabinet for a total of $550m (£428.1m) in order to focus on classier tipples, it said today. The company behind drinks such as Guinness and Smirnoff will sell the brands to US rival Sazerac, parting with brands Seagram’s VO, Seagram’s 83, Seagram’s Five Star, Myers’s Rum, [...]
FTSE 100 roundup: Today’s winners and losers November 2, 2018 The FTSE 100 lost ground today, with the index down 8.05 points at 7,106.61 shortly before the market close. Markets globally reacted positively to suggestions that the US and China may be coming towards a deal to end their recent trade war. However, looking at the week just gone, it appears that the FTSE 100 [...]
Guinness brewer Diageo warns currency volatility will hit profits September 20, 2018 British brewer Diageo today warned that volatility in the currency market is set to damage sales and profits. Sales will be reduced by £175m this year, the firm behind Guinness, Gordon’s Gin and Baileys said. Meanwhile operating profits will drop by £45m. It issued the warning ahead of its annual general meeting (AGM) later today, [...]
Diageo’s share price falls as Larry Schwartz reveals plans to retire after 40 years in the industry June 15, 2015 Larry Swartz, president of Diageo North America, will retire at the end of this year after 40 years in the drinks industry. Schwartz – a bartender's son and grandson – has been president of the North America division since March 2012, but has held numerous other roles at the business including president of Diageo [...]
Diageo share price lifted by billionaire Brazilian bid talk from Jorge Paulo Lemann and 3G Capital June 8, 2015 Shares in Diageo have shot up today following reports the drinks giant is the target of a takeover bid by Brazil's richest man. Jorge Paulo Lemann and his private equity partners at 3G Capital are said to be mulling a buyout, according to local media reports. London-listed shares in the maker of Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie [...]
Diageo battles subsidiary boss Vijay Mallya after financial misconduct probe April 27, 2015 Diageo was forced to hold an emergency meeting over the weekend after the chairman of its Indian subsidiary, United Spirits, was accused of financial misconduct. Vijay Mallya, the former majority stakeholder in United Spirits, was asked to step down by Diageo, which purchased 55 per cent of the company for £1.8bn last year. Mallya is [...]