Diageo unveils GB on-trade support package, including £1m pledge for bartender wages

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 17 March, 2020

Drinks industry giant Diageo has marked St Patrick’s Day with a pledge via its Guinness brand of £1m to support bartenders in the UK, with similar fund is being set up in Ireland.

The fund is designed to help bars and pubs pay the wages of bar staff in the face of the unprecedented impact on the on-trade as the coronavirus crisis escalates, with government advising people to stay away from pubs and bars.

The announcement forms part of a broader raft of measures aimed at propping up pubs, bars and smaller retailers at this challenging time.

These include the opportunity for anyone working in the UK drinks trade to attend a free Diageo Bar Academy Training Course, which will be offered online.

A key part of that training, says Diageo, covers the business of bartending, which “may help to manage quieter trading periods”.

In addition, Diageo will offer trade customers more flexibility in terms of order size, to help businesses manage inventory costs and the uncertainty thrown up with regard to footfall and spend.

“The British drinks trade is facing one of its most challenging times ever and we want to help our communities when they need us most,” said Dayalan Nayager, Diageo managing director, Great Britain, Ireland and France.

“We all need to come together to support the trade and I would urge all my fellow drinks producers to do what they can to help our British pubs, bars and retailers and restaurants over the next few months.”

More information on the Diageo Bar Academy Training Course can be found here.

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