Diageo shares jump as World Cup hype helps drinks giant back to sales growth Markets Shares in Diageo jumped on Wednesday morning as high hopes for a high-drama World Cup has helped lift the drinks firm’s sales back into positive territory. The Guinness and Johnnie Walker maker, which has been battling a slowdown in demand for spirits, said it had seen “some benefit” of “advance sales” ahead of the start [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump; oil dips below $100 as Trump says Iran deal close Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Brent crude dipped below $100 at Wednesday lunchtime after Donald Trump has hailed “great progress” towards a “final agreement” with Iran, prompting a rally in the FTSE, Asian markets and Wall Street. In a sudden reversal late last night, President Trump said he will pause [...]
Diageo launches the new Scotch whisky Rare Series aimed at private clients Whisky Diageo has unveiled a new high-end whisky collection as it doubles down on its push into the global luxury spirits market. The drinks giant has introduced the Rare Series, a collection of Scotch whiskies aimed at private clients and collectors. The initial release includes five single malts drawn from distilleries across Scotland. The range features [...]
Celebrity-backed spirit brands steal the spotlight April 9, 2026 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. According to research conducted by the Financial Times, five of the biggest listed alcohol producers, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Campari, Brown Forman and Rémy Cointreau, are sitting on $22bn worth of ageing spirits, the highest level of inventory in more than a decade. This growing pool [...]
Guinness Index: How much is a pint of the black stuff in your borough? March 25, 2026 While the ONS has added hummus and dog grooming to its sample shopping basket in a bid to move with the times when tracking inflation – City AM prefers a cooler metric: the Guinness Index. Nothing encapsulates British consumer habits like Guinness’ meteoric rise: taking stout from the preserve of grey-haired aficionados to an ever-present [...]
Diageo subsidiary pockets £1.3bn from sale of Indian cricket team March 25, 2026 A subsidiary of Diageo has pocketed £1.3bn from the sale of its Indian cricket team as the drinks giant divests assets to focus on its core business. The FTSE 100 firm acquired Indian team Royal Challengers just over a decade ago as part of its acquisition of a majority stake in United Spirits, an Indian [...]
Analysis: Could £1bn IPL RCB cricket windfall begin Diageo’s comeback? March 20, 2026 It’s been a tough few months for Diageo – and a tough few years for Diageo shareholders. The London-listed drinks giant has seen its share price melt away amid a slump in demand for premium spirits, rising production costs and a flurry of tariffs from across the pond. The stock is already down by an [...]
Not-so-drastic Dave: Diageo boss defies expectations of slash-and-burn reign February 25, 2026 ‘Drastic Dave’ Lewis, who gained a reputation for cost-cutting and ruthless rationalisation during his time at Unilever and Tesco, was more ‘demure Dave’ when announcing Diageo’s first results of his tenure as chief executive. The spirits giant has been struggling in recent years, with its share price down 22 per cent year-on-year – and Lewis’ [...]
Diageo slashes dividend as ‘Drastic Dave’ takes charge February 25, 2026 Guinness maker Diageo has slashed its dividend as the cost-cutting regime of new chief executive ‘drastic’ Dave Lewis begins to take hold, prompting a share price spook. The board announced the “difficult” decision to cut its dividend to 20 cents to “accelerate the strengthening” of its balance sheet in its interim results, the first financial [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Index hits record as HSBC, St James’s stock rally February 25, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. There’s a number of factors weighing on global markets at the moment, and yet the FTSE 100 was able to close Tuesday’s session unscathed. It came despite President Donald Trump’s new 10 per cent tariffs coming into effect, sending some jitters across global indexes. But [...]