The company which owns Guinness says the stout's recovery continued in the 12 months to the end of June.
Diageo Ireland said sales of Guinness were up 2.5% compared with a year earlier in a declining Irish beer market. This represents a turnaround of 10% from H1 last year, when sales were down more than 7%. Worldwide, Guinness sales grew by 6%, with particularly strong growth of 13% in Africa.
Diageo Ireland said it faced continuing cost pressures, mainly due to energy prices. It added that falling consumer confidence had affected the alcohol market in the first half of 2008.
Parent company Diageo's sales rose by 7% in the year to just over £8 billion, while operating profits before exceptional items rose by 9% to £2.3 billion.
