Diageo proposes cutting about 150 jobs in Ireland

Diageo has proposed collective redundancies in Ireland that could affect about 150 jobs, according to a government official and company statements issued after the group notified Ireland’s Department of Enterprise on June 22.

The London-based drinks company, which owns Baileys and Roe & Co, said the move is part of a broader redesign of its operating framework announced earlier this year. In a statement, Diageo said it had told investors in February that it planned to reshape its operating model “to drive sustainable returns for shareholders by delivering a more competitive Diageo.”

The company did not publicly detail which roles would be cut, but the affected positions are understood to be within Diageo’s Irish business. Diageo employs about 1,200 people in Ireland across brewing, liqueurs production, marketing, sales and commercial support. Globally, it has more than 29,000 employees, according to its website.

The proposed cuts come as Diageo adjusts operations after a period of weak growth. Organic sales rose just 0.3% year over year in the company’s third quarter, covering January through March 2026. In Europe, sales increased 8.8%, which Diageo attributed to Guinness in Britain and Ireland.

In Ireland, Diageo produces Baileys, Guinness and Roe & Co whiskey. The company has said more than 80% of the ingredients and packaging used to make Baileys are sourced in Ireland, making the country an important production base and a key link in its local supply chain. Any reduction in staffing could therefore have implications beyond payroll, with potential effects on production capacity, costs and suppliers tied to one of the world’s largest spirits groups.

The latest proposal follows other cost-cutting steps at the company. In September, Diageo said it would outsource some roles in Northern Ireland to India, leading to about 60 job losses. Last month, reports said Chief Executive Dave Lewis, who took over at the start of 2026, had instructed senior executives to reduce headcount and other costs in their departments.

Lewis set out three immediate priorities in February: building competitive category strategies around relevant brands, sharpening customer focus and redesigning the company’s operating framework.

Recent brand performance has been uneven. For the last six months of 2025, Diageo said organic sales in Ireland rose 1.3%, driven by Guinness. The company also reported market share gains in spirits and total beverage alcohol despite what it described as a declining environment.

Baileys has been under pressure. Diageo said the brand’s organic sales fell 1% over that period and volumes declined 2%. Company data also showed Baileys volumes dropped 9.9% to 7.5 million nine-litre cases in 2025. Guinness moved in the opposite direction, with organic sales up 11%.

Roe & Co has also faced operational changes. Last summer, Diageo paused production at its Dublin distillery, saying at the time that the halt would help optimize resources and support the sustainable future growth of the business.