Business · 25 February 2026
Diageo cuts sales forecast and halves dividend amid US slump
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Mkorukmez via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Guinness and Johnnie Walker maker Diageo has downgraded its annual sales outlook for the second time in four months, now expecting 2026 organic sales to fall 2–3%. US sales dropped 9.3%, with tequila sales down more than 23%. The company more than halved its interim dividend from 40.5 cents to 20 cents per share, sending shares down around 8%. New chief executive Dave Lewis, who took over in January, cited pressure on consumer wallets as the biggest challenge.
Reported by Reuters · How we write briefs