Leven has been given another jobs boost thanks to growing demand for whisky in the Far East.
Diageo has announced a £5 million investment in a bottling hall for luxury whisky products, with the 30 new jobs, at its Banbeath site, and follows an £86 million investment in a bottling plant that brought 400 jobs to Levenmouth.
A spokesman for Diageo said: ”In terms of manufacturing exports, Scottish whisky is leading the way. Diageo is certainly experiencing an increase in demand we are seeing growth across a lot of emerging economies such as Russia and Asia.”
The firm reported considerable growth in Russia and eastern Europe, while sales also increased in Latin America and Africa. However, demand for luxury goods is being fuelled by the Far East, where the well-off are acquiring a taste for our national drink.
South Korea in particular has a growing thirst for whisky.
Last year Diageo purchased an equity stake in Vietnamese spirits manufacturer, Halico, and invested in China’s Shui Jing Fang. It also spent more money marketing Johnnie Walker whisky in Thailand, and the result was a net sales growth of 23%.
In Vietnam, Johnnie Walker Blue Label and The Singleton helped swell sales by 36%.
The Singleton is now the second-biggest selling single malt brand in Taiwan, where sales almost doubled last year.
Demand for high-end products also increased in Australia.
Commenting on the year end results for June 30, Diageo Asia Pacific president Gilbert Ghostine said: ”Our Asia Pacific business built momentum this year, particularly in fast growing emerging markets and in the high value super deluxe segment.
”The region was focused on accelerating net sales growth, enhancing our position as the number one international spirits company in the region and delivering double digit operating profit growth.
”With net sales up 9%, share gains in scotch across the region and 13% growth in operating profit, each of these goals was achieved.
”We also made significant progress on two important transactions this year, Shui Jing Fang in China and Halico in Vietnam.”
Diageo’s Leven site director, John Paterson, said: ”We were granted planning permission in early October to enable us to further expand our bottling facilities on site to ensure that we have the capacity to meet future demands.
”This work is part of our overall restructuring plans that will ensure the long-term sustainability of our operations in Scotland. It builds on the £86 million already invested in the site alongside the creation of some additional 400 full-time equivalent jobs.”
The addition of the new bottling facilities at Leven brings the workforce at Banbeath up to about 1,000.
While the developments at Banbeath have been welcomed as providing much needed work to Levenmouth, they were accompanied by a jobs blow on the west coast, with 700 Diageo employees being made redundant at the Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock.