Guinness limits supply ahead of Christmas after spike in sales

The owner of Guinness has put limits on the amount of the stout pubs and bars can purchase in the run up to Christmas following a spike in sales.

Diageo said it had seen “exceptional consumer demand” even for its usual peak season.

It is understood the brewer has allocated a certain amount pubs and bars can buy on a weekly basis to keep supply flowing and avoid panic buying.

The Times, which first reported the issue, said a spell of cold weather, the autumn rugby internationals in November and Guinness’ growing popularity among young women had stretched supply.

Guinness’ sales have outperformed the wider beer market throughout summer and autumn, according to CGA data.

While total beer category volumes declined 0.5% between July to October, Guinness saw a 20.9% rise over the three months.

A Diageo spokesperson said: “Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Great Britain. We have maximised supply, and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”

Diageo has made a significant investment in Guinness over the past year to meet a spike in demand. A €220m carbon neutral brewery is under construction in Little Connell in Ireland while €30m is being invested into its St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin to cater for soaring demands for non-alcoholic Guinness 0.0.

The Devonshire pub in London became one of the first UK venues serving Guinness 0.0 on draught this year and it is also on offer in football stadiums across the country.

It is understood the issue is isolated to Great Britain and is not impacting global supplies.

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