Guinness stout has had a revival in recent years, becoming trendy with Gen Z and women. Diageo agreed just before Christmas to sell its 65 per cent stake in East African Breweries, its last direct beer operation, for $2.3 billion (€2 billion) to Japan’s Asahi Group. While Diageo has denied any interest in selling its 34 per cent stake in Moët Hennessy, the drinks division of luxury group LVMH, its looks increasingly like an odd holding. “Over three years, this is a cumulative saving of circa $3.5 billion,” the investment bank said in a report this week. Tapping the team at Guinness – one of the best recent examples of brand-building in the industry – would be a good start.

Source: The Irish Times January 17, 2026 09:00 UTC