DIAGEO IS CONSIDERING spinning off or selling its historic Guinness beer business, according to reports.

Bloomberg News reported today that the drinks giant is also reviewing the future of its 34% stake in Moet Hennessy, the drinks division of luxury firm LVMH.

A spinoff would mean carving out Guinness as a separate company, rather than selling it altogether. 

Diageo shares have risen by more than 4% today in London since Bloomberg reported the company’s review of its brands. 

It comes amid a testing period for Diageo boss Debra Crew, who has seen the company’s shares steadily decline under her leadership over the past year-and-a-half.

In November, Diageo shares hit their lowest level since 2017.

The company is due to deliver an earnings report early next month.

The company has already reportedly looked at the potential sale of its Pimms liqueur and Ciroc vodka brands over the past year. Ciroc used to be backed by music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who is facing multiple accusations of sexual assault and other forms of abuse. 

The fresh reports said people familiar with the matter said a potential spin-off or sale of Guinness is being studied among a range of possibilities.

Bloomberg reported that the Irish stout business could be valued north of $10 billion (€9.5 billion), if it looked at a possible stock market listing or gauged possible takeover interest.

Guinness has been a key area of growth for the London-listed group in recent years, with the stout becoming the UK’s most popular beer in 2022, after overtaking Carling lager.

In July, the company said strong sales of Guinness, particularly in the UK, helped to drive an 18% rise in beer sales across the company.

It came as the group revealed total sales dropped for the first time in around four years, amid weaker demand for scotch and rum.

With reporting from David Mac Redmond