Its Raising the Bar initiative will provide support to hospitality centres including New York, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Sydney and more.  

The $100 million scheme includes the $20 million community fund announced earlier this month to support the US on-trade.

Raising the Bar will offer targeted support to help pay for the physical equipment needed for outlets to re-open.

For example, in the UK, Diageo will provide initial funding for hygiene kits, with high-quality permanent sanitizer dispense units, medical grade hand sanitizer and a range of personal protection equipment, such as masks and gloves. It will also help pubs and bars establish partnerships with online reservations and cashless systems, mobile bars and outdoor equipment.

The programme will start in July and run for two years. As of today, bar owners can register their interest via www.diageobaracademy.com globally and www.mydiageo.com in the UK and Ireland.

Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes 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. 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.”