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News
Guinness tackles sliding sales with new attraction
Guinness has opened “The Tasting Rooms” as the latest development in a three year, €10million investment programme at the brand’s St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin.
The move comes as owner Diageo steps up its wider marketing investment in Guinness to help revive the brand’s flagging sales across the UK and Ireland, which contributed to a global volume decline of 2% last year.
Forming part of The Guinness Storehouse, a seven storey venue which claims the title of Ireland’s number one international visitor attraction, The Tasting Rooms are described as “the world’s most unique and innovative Guinness tasting experience.”
Visitors pass through a series of spaces which combine “scientific and creative elements” designed to help enhance their appreciation of the famous Irish stout’s distinctive flavour.
The Tasting Rooms join the venue’s existing features such as the Guinness Academy and Guinness Connoisseur Bar, as part of an attraction where visitors can learn to pour the perfect pint, taste Guinness-inspired dishes or enjoy a 360⁰ view of Dublin from Gravity Bar.
“The unveiling of The Tasting Rooms here in the Guinness Storehouse marks an exciting development into the realms of experiential and sensory tasting innovation,” said the venue’s visitor experience manager Catherine Keegan.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing such a unique and alternative experience to visitors from both Ireland and across the globe.”
This latest investment in the brand comes after Diageo reported a 2% overall volume decline for Guinness in its preliminary annual results to the end of June 2013.
Despite Diageo reporting a “resilient” picture from Great Britain as a whole in its preliminary annual results to the end of June 2013, Guinness sales here fell by 3%, with a 5% fall in Ireland. However, the drinks group marked an improvement for the brand in both markets during the final quarter thanks to a step-up in marketing investment.
By contrast, Guinness enjoyed net sales growth of 19% in East Africa and 13% in South East Asia.