Guinness has suffered a decline in UK sales, with owner Diageo reporting a fall of "low single digits" between July and September. The company blamed "competitive pressure" from rival stouts and unusually warm weather for the drop.
Chief executive points to competition and heat
Sir Dave Lewis, Diageo's chief executive, admitted that rival stouts were increasingly challenging Guinness in both pubs and supermarkets. "Success draws competition," he said. "Guinness has been very successful. The competition is within stout. There's some work for us to do there. Not rocket science, but we need to do it."
Lewis also attributed part of the decline to this summer's record-breaking heatwaves in the UK. "We've had a very warm summer, so the stout market does have some impact," he added.
Rivals gain ground with cheaper pints
The fall follows a period of booming popularity for Guinness, particularly among younger drinkers, driven by social media trends such as 'splitting the G' on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. However, other stout makers have also grown in popularity, offering cheaper alternatives in pubs and supermarkets.
Murphy's Irish Stout, made by Diageo rival Heineken, is one of the most popular alternatives. It recently struck a deal with Wetherspoon to be stocked in nearly 800 pubs at an average price of £2.99 a pint, compared with £3.80 for Guinness. Beamish, another stout that has gained popularity, recently struck a distribution deal in the UK after being popular in Ireland for decades.
Caffrey's Black Stout, made by Molson Coors, as well as Tennent's Stout and Jeremy Clarkson's Hawkstone Black, have also capitalised on Guinness' popularity by offering alternative stouts.
Market share and popularity context
The Telegraph reports that Guinness's share of beer sales in British pubs almost doubled from 9.3 per cent in 2022 to 17.5 per cent in March 2025. According to a YouGov poll, Guinness is the most popular Beer/Cider brand in the UK, ranking higher than Peroni, San Miguel, Kopparberg and Budweiser. It is most popular among millennials and baby boomers, but ranks only 5th among Generation X.
Other stouts currently on the market for British drinkers include Wye Valley Wholesome Stout, St Austell Mena Dhu, Mackeson Stout and Fuller's London Porter.
