Diageo launches $100 million recovery fund for bars

24 Jun 2020 ESGOur brands
Diageo launches $100 million recovery fund for bars

Our new global programme, “Raising the Bar”, will support pubs and bars to welcome customers back and recover following the COVID-19 pandemic

Our new global programme, “Raising the Bar”, will support pubs and bars to welcome customers back and recover following the COVID-19 pandemic

We have launched a new global programme to support pubs and bars to welcome customers back and recover following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Raising the Bar” will be a two-year programme available from July 2020, supporting jobs and communities around the world.

Through “Raising the Bar, we will provide $100 million to support the recovery of major hospitality centres, including: New York, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Sydney and beyond.

The programme was designed following a global survey of bar owners to identify what they need to reopen after lockdown. Their top priorities include hygiene measures, digital support and practical equipment to transform how their outlets will work.

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. 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.

Ivan Menezes
Chief Executive, Diageo
Ivan Menezes
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The “Raising the Bar” programme will provide targeted support to help pay for the physical equipment needed for outlets to re-open. For example, in the UK, we will provide: ‘hygiene kits’ with high-quality permanent sanitiser dispense units, medical grade hand sanitiser and a range of personal protection equipment (such as masks and gloves); help to pubs and bars to establish partnerships with online reservations and cashless systems; mobile bars and outdoor equipment.

From 24 June 2020, bar owners will be able to register their interest for the “Raising the Bar” programme via www.diageobaracademy.com globally and www.mydiageo.com in the UK and Ireland. Bar owners will receive regular updates on best practice training and resources and be able to participate in global surveys to share insights, as they build back their businesses.