Diageo launches $100m recovery fund for the hospitality industry

British alcohol producer Diageo has launched a $100 million recovery fund to help pubs and bars welcome back customers after the lockdown. 

The new global programme will help the hospitality sector recover from Covid-19 by supporting jobs and communities globally. 

Practical equipment for outlets to implement social distancing measures, digital skills training and contactless technology options are among some of the ways in which Diageo will aid the long-term recovery of the hospitality sector. 

The programme, called ‘Raising the Bar’, was designed following a global survey of bar and pub owners to identify what they would need upon reopening their doors to the public after lockdown. Top priorities included hygiene measures, digital support and practical equipment to transform how their outlets will work.

The programme will last for two years – available from July 2020 – and will support hospitality sectors around the world, including: New York, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Sydney and beyond.

The $100 million investment includes the $20 million community fund announced in the US on 12 June 2020.

Ivan Menezes, chief executive of Diageo said: “Pubs and bars sit at the heart of every community. We have launched ‘Raising the Bar’ as so many outlets have been impacted by this crisis and badly need help to open their doors again.

“We are calling on governments around the world to provide long-term recovery packages to help the hospitality sector,” she continued. “These businesses play an essential role in bringing people together to socialise and celebrate – something that we have all missed so much during this terrible crisis – and sustain hundreds of millions of jobs, which provide a first foot on the employment ladder for young people.”

The UN’s International Labour Organization predicts that 436 million enterprises worldwide face serious disruption, while one in six young people will become unemployed as a result of Covid-19. The hospitality sector will be one of the hardest hit, as pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants provide hundreds of millions of jobs for people.