Anyone partial to a pint or two of the black stuff will remember the shocking news which broke in the UK before Christmas 2024.
Diageo, the makers of Guinness, said a perfect storm of factors had caused a shortage of the beloved Irish stout, leading to some pubs being issued with ration cards limiting how much punters could consume.
The firm claimed unseasonably cold weather, social media popularising the product with younger people and women and four consecutive weekends of international rugby in November had prompted some pubs to panic buy kegs of Guinness to avoid running dry. This in turn ensured other pubs did, hence the rationing.
Dark times indeed (but, in fairness to Diageo, their crisis handling was so slick they managed to turn bad news into good news.)
So, back to the present day, with the Cheltenham Festival under way and the final weekend of the Six Nations upon us, WM News wanted to understand the status of current Guinness stocks across the boozers of Britain ahead of St Patrick’s Day (March 17), when the odd pint of Guinness has been known to be taken. We approached Diageo’s London press office for comment.
A spokesperson for Diageo said: “While demand for Guinness continues to grow, we have made progress in replenishing stock levels in Great Britain so that supply has returned to more normal levels. We will continue to manage supply responsibly so that consumers can look forward to enjoying high-quality pints through the spring and summer.”
Thank goodness for that. Now, to all those raising a glass this Paddy’s Day: “Sláinte!”
Diageo’s share price (DGE.L), as at 0800 on March 14 was at 2080 pence (GBX) with analysts on eToro, the trading platform, suggesting “moderate buy.”
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