Diageo toasts bumper year with 50,000 free pints

Diageo is preparing to hand out 50,000 free prints of zero alcohol Guinness this weekend, just days after revealing a bumper year for booze sales in Northern Ireland.

The Guinness-maker saw its pre-tax profits more than double to £6.3 million in the year to June 30 2022. It followed a £42m increase in turnover (34 per cent) to £169.3m, exceeding its last full year before the Covid-19 pandemic when it generated a pre-tax profit of £3.4m on a turnover of £144m.

The drinks giant’s response to the pandemic, included launching a new alcohol free version of Guinness.

While the lockdown restrictions are gone, Diageo has continued to make Guinness 0.0 front and centre of its marketing strategy from the Six Nations sponsorship to St Patrick’s Day.

This weekend will see Diageo offer up to 50,000 free pints of Guinness 0.0 across the island.

Common Market on Belfast’s Dunbar Street will also become one of four pubs on the island temporarily rebranded to promote the zero alcohol stout.

The restyled ‘C0mm0n Market’ in the Cathedral Quarter will be one of the locations where patrons can lift a free pint of Guinness 0.0 on St Patrick’s Day.

Another 150 pubs will offer a pint of Guinness 0.0 via the AnyExcuse app across March 16-19.

Alan McAleenan, brand director at Guinness Ireland said: “St Patrick’s Day is one of the key highlights in the social calendar, a day when we are proud to celebrate our heritage and Irish culture.

“We are delighted to be championing our non-alcoholic beer, Guinness 0.0, in our largest ever responsible drinking campaign in Ireland, and encourage everyone to engage in an enjoyable and responsible way to make it a St Patrick’s Day to remember.”