Diageo Northern Ireland £7.8m profit in rising beers sales.

Diageo Northern Ireland has reported a pre-tax profit of £7.9 million for the year ending June 30, 2025, marking a slight increase from the previous year.

This modest rise comes despite a significant £4.96 million (2.6%) boost in annual turnover, bringing total revenue to £194.7 million.

After accounting for a tax bill of £84,000, the net profit stood at £7.82 million, leading to a dividend payout of £7.79 million to the parent company, down from £9.2 million in 2024.

The increase in turnover was primarily driven by a £5.5 million (2.6%) rise in beer sales, totaling £137.7 million.

In contrast, spirit sales experienced a slight decline of approximately £528,000, settling at £57 million.

However, rising raw material costs, which surged by £9 million (12%) to £83.3 million, offset these gains.

A notable area of savings was in excise duties.

The company, which has heavily invested in low-alcohol products like Guinness 0.0, saw its excise duty payments decrease by £2.3 million to £75.3 million.

This reduction is attributed to the growing popularity of non-alcoholic beverages, which are subject to lower excise duties.

Diageo has described Guinness 0.0 as one of the most successful product launches in its history.

The company's Northern Ireland operations include the Baileys global supply facility in Mallusk, a city center office hub, and an east Belfast packaging site capable of producing up to 72,000 cans per hour.

In 2022, Diageo announced a £24.5 million investment in the east Belfast site, citing the growth of both Guinness and its non-alcoholic counterpart.

Despite these positive developments, the company faced challenges, including plans announced in September 2025 to cut around 60 jobs in Northern Ireland, with many roles being outsourced to India.

Additionally, a high-profile industrial dispute with workers on the Guinness canning line at the east Belfast site led to strike action in the lead-up to Christmas.

The industrial action, led by Unite union members, was eventually called off last month after workers accepted a 15.5% three-year pay deal, backdated to 2024.

As of June 2025, the company employed 138 people, a reduction from approximately 300 employees across its three Northern Ireland sites prior to the job cuts.

Total staff costs, prior to the recent pay deal, had increased by 2.3% to £7.8 million over the year to June 30, 2025.