Spirits giant cheers 20th year since foundation
Drinks giant Diageo, the maker of Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff vodka, Tanqueray gin and Guinness stout, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this weekend.
Created on 17 December 1997, through the merger of Grand Metropolitan plc and Guinness plc, the group has grown to become a business whose products are sold in 180 countries.
Over the past two decades, Diageo’s share price has increased by some 340 per cent, market capital has grown 440 per cent and earnings per share (pre-exceptional items) are 220 per cent higher.
To mark the celebration, chief executive Ivan Menezes, along with the firm’s Scotch blenders and fellow members of the senior leadership team, opened the market at the London Stock Exchange.
Menezes said: “I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the past 20 years, which is testament to the commitment of our talented employees past and present.”