Guinness supply issues to continue until January

Limits on Guinness supplies are set to continue until the end of the month, Diageo has confirmed.

The brewer said it would begin a “phased replenishment of the supply chain” in January to ensure pubs were well stocked ahead of the Guinness Six Nations rugby tournament at the end of the month.

But it warned supplies of the stout will continue to be allocated on a “managed basis” until the end of December.

Pressure on Guinness stocks began three weeks ago but supply issues appear to differ across the sector. A JD Wetherspoon spokesperson said it was “fully stocked” with Guinness and expecting further deliveries this week.

However, Irish pub chain Katie O’Brien’s, which has seven pubs across England, has only received 70% of its required stock for the last two weeks, operations director Shaun Jenkinson told The Caterer.

“This has been an incredibly inconvenient challenge to deal with at the busiest time,” he said. “The more awareness that this is a national supply issue, rather than poor management by pubs, the better.

“We have been receiving about 70% of the stock required to fulfil orders at present. This has been the case for about two weeks now. Ordering stock is incredibly complicated, having to rely on multiple wholesalers with various ordering parameters.

“There has been no indication or communication from Diageo on when this situation will ease, only continued warnings from wholesalers that they are not expecting to be able to meet our requirements in the run-up to Christmas.”

A Guinness bar was serving drinks at the UKHospitality Christmas lunch this week, with the brand receiving a few pantomime boos from operators when it was mentioned by the comedian.

Some smaller venues in London have told customers they are down to their last few kegs, with one even issuing a “ration card” to drinkers.

Several large pub chains declined to comment, with one citing it as a national supply issue.

Guinness’s 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.

The autumn rugby internationals in November and the stout’s growing popularity among young women have also been pointed to as reasons for the sudden strain on supply.

A Diageo spokesperson said: “We are grateful to all our customers for their engagement, collaboration and patience over the past three weeks. We are producing more Guinness today than we ever have in our 265-year history, and we continue to work closely with customers across our network to manage Guinness distribution as efficiently as possible, ensuring we maximise supply and minimise disruptions for pubs and retailers.

“Demand remains at unprecedented levels, and we will continue to allocate supplies on a managed basis until the end of December, before beginning a phased replenishment of the supply chain in January to ensure a return to normal for the Guinness Six Nations.”

Photo: Ross Mahon/Shutterstock