Diageo to unveil Oliver Loomes as new Irish country director
Diageo is expected to name Oliver Loomes as its new country director of Ireland later this morning in place of David Smith, who has held the position since July 2011.
Mr Loomes has been with Diageo for 16 years and led the Guinness 250th celebration in 2009 in Ireland and the inaugural Arthur’s Day campaign the following year.
Educated at University College Dublin (UCD), Mr Loomes has been the global brand director for Guinness since March 2011.
Prior to this he held a number of positions including director of marketing and innovation where he played a key role in the revitalisation of the lager category with leading brands such as Carlsberg and Budweiser.
Sales of Guinness rose 2 per cent in Ireland in the year ending June 30th but were flat elsewhere, according to the latest results from Diageo, which were published at the end of July. Sales of Baileys – the most popular cream liquer in Ireland – were unchanged locally but fell by 4 per cent globally.
The results showed Guinness volumes rose 2.6 per cent in total trade in Ireland in the 12 months to the end of June with off trade growth rising 7.5 per cent. The group has a 34 per cent volume share for the on trade in the Republic and a 19.8 per cent share in the North.
Globally, Guinness sales were flat with Diageo saying that the brand performed well in both the US, with sales up 3 per cent, and in Western Europe, where sales rose by 2 per cent. The group attributed the jump in sales in both regions to the success of newer products such as Blonde American Lager and Dublin Porter.
Diageo, which is the world’s largest spirits company, with brands that also include Smifnoff Vodka and Johnnie Walker Scotch, forecast a return to sales growth after reporting revenue that was unchanged in the 12 months ending June 30th.
