|
Diageo Plc, the world's largest maker of premium drinks, plans to invest more than £1 billion ($1.5 billion) in Scotch whisky production over the next five years in order to meet growing global demand, especially from emerging markets.  Diageo, whose products include Johnnie Walker, Bell's, Smirnoff vodka, Guinness and Gordon's Gin among many others, will build a major new malt distillery, expand a number of its existing distilleries and draw up plans for a second new distillery if global demand for Scotch is sustained at expected levels.
The London-based company also plans to invest in new warehousing capacity to house the millions of additional litres of Scotch which the distillery investment will produce. Diageo said that 250 jobs will be created each year in construction over the five year period and the investment is expected to generate an additional 500 jobs in the wider economy. In the last five years Diageo has reported 50 per cent growth in net sales of its Scotch brands with total net sales approaching £3 billion this financial year. Scotch represented 23 per cent of Diageo's volume, 27 per cent of net sales and a third of gross profit in the financial year 2011.
|
