Diageo to open Guinness microbrewery in London’s Covent Garden

United Kingdom | First they took on Dublin, then Edinburgh. Now it is London. Diageo will open a microbrewery and culture centre for its Guinness brand at a historic brewery site in London’s Covent Garden late next year, the company said on 31 January 2022. It plans to spend GBP 73 million (USD 98 million) on the project.

Apart from providing punters with a full-scale brand experience, Diageo hopes to generate more revenue from venues, like the Guinness Storehouse tourist centre in Dublin (opened in 2020) and the Johnnie Walker scotch whisky outpost in Edinburgh (opened in 2021).

Better late than never

As says Bloomberg, the opening comes as brands such as Brixton Brewery and Beavertown, both owned by Heineken, as well as Goose Island and Camden Town, which are owned by AB-InBev, kit out their bars and breweries in London to host customers seeking tours.

In 2018, Guinness opened a brewery to the public in Baltimore. It is said to seek another facility in Chicago.

The London site will provide up to 150 jobs and train a further 100 bartenders annually, the company said.

On 27 January, Diageo reported sales for the first half of its fiscal year that beat estimates. Operating profit increased 22.5 percent to GBP 2.7 billion (USD 3.62 billion) in the six months to 31 December 2021, while net sales rose 15.8 percent to GBP 8 billion. The gains reflect a continued recovery in the on-premise and strong consumer demand in the off-premise.