In the mid 1990s, the Guinness Hopstore, a museum dedicated to the heritage of the brand, was close to capacity. A small extension could be built, but was a slightly bigger museum what the brand needed?
The brand challenge was to recruit a new generation of drinkers. A bigger museum focused on the past could simply reinforce perceptions that Guinness was an old man’s drink.
Here was an opportunity to create the ultimate experience of the character of the brand - a ‘must see’ experience with the objective of enhancing opinion, encouraging recruitment and creating Guinness ambassadors. There were many risks:
Financial: the project cost was £42 million, with no definitive pay-back.
Location: Converting an old production site into an audaciously designed pint-shaped experience with a roof top bar was a massive undertaking
New sector entry: Guinness had no previous experience in hospitality
But this is a brand built on bravery, built on the vision of our founder Arthur Guinness who signed a 9,000 year lease for the brewery. When the...
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