Diageo GB supports trade with 100+ new recruits
Johnnie Walker owner Diageo has more than doubled its dedicated independent on-trade and convenience team in its home market by recruiting more than 100 staff members.
The expanded team will increase Diageo’s capacity to call on independent outlets, advise on optimising displays, in-store merchandising, and sharpen in-outlet brand execution for Diageo products, supporting stores as they look to drive sales in the alcohol category.
The first of Diageo’s new hires joined the convenience channel on 1 February, with further recruitment and deployment to roll out throughout March, April and May.
The expanded field sales force will broaden the number of outlets Diageo can reach, and shift the average frequency of visits from quarterly to monthly to support better, more consistent shopper experiences.
Ed Gallagher, channel director, field & technical at Diageo GB, said: “Independent free trade outlets are vital to our business and to their communities, and we’re confident that this investment will allow us to increase the level of support for the channel and help unlock further growth within the drinks category.
“By putting more feet on the street, we can reach more outlets more often and help to co-create more brilliant experiences for consumers up and down the country.”
This expansion is said to be part of Diageo’s commitment to putting the independent operator ‘at the heart of what the firm does’.
Diageo has seen positive results since it brought its ‘field and technical’ team in-house in 2024, with on-trade sites receiving regular visits from the team and resulting in increased sales across the Diageo portfolio.
Alongside this expansion, further enhancements are being made to Diageo’s trade platform, Diageo One, which provides 24/7 virtual training, category guidance, and digital ordering tools to help customers leverage brands including Guinness, Smirnoff, and Captain Morgan.
In November last year Diageo recruited former Tesco boss Dave Lewis as its CEO.
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