Diageo (DEO) Risk Factors

Diageo faces substantial competition from several international companies as well as regional and local companies (including craft breweries) in the countries in which it operates and competes with other drinks companies across a wide range of consumer drinking occasions. Within a number of categories, the beverage alcohol industry has been experiencing continuing consolidation among major global producers, as evidenced by business combinations of substantial value carried out by significant competitors in recent years. Consolidation is also taking place among Diageo’s customers in many countries. In addition, there has been a recent increase in competition for distribution channels, notably e-commerce channels. These trends may lead to stronger competitors, increased competitive pressure from customers, negative impacts on Diageo’s distribution network (including sub-optimal routes to customers and consumers), downward pressure on prices, predatory marketing tactics by Diageo’s competitors and/or a decline in Diageo’s market share in any of these categories. For example, recent expansion in the seltzer and ready to drink categories has increased competitive pressures across product categories and in certain markets (such as in the United States). Adverse developments in economic conditions or declines in demand or consumer spending, including due to the Covid-19 pandemic, may also result in intensified competition for market share, with potentially adverse effects on sales volumes and prices. Any of these factors may adversely affect Diageo’s results and potential for growth.

Diageo’s portfolio of brands includes some of the world’s leading beverage alcohol brands, as well as a number of brands that are prominent in certain regional and/or country-specific markets. Any inability by Diageo to respond and adapt either its products or its processes to disruptive market forces including e-commerce, digital, and new formats could impact Diageo’s ability to effectively service its customers and consumers with the required agility, thereby threatening market share, revenue, profitability and growth ambitions. Consumer preferences on a global, regional and/or local scale may shift due to a variety of factors, including changes in demographics, evolving social trends (including any shifts in consumer tastes towards at-home consumption occasions, premiumisation, small-batch craft alcohol, lower or no alcohol beverages, or other alternative products), changes in travel, holiday or leisure activity patterns, weather conditions, public health regulations and/or health and wellness concerns (including as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic), any or all of which may reduce consumers’ willingness to purchase beverage alcohol products from large producers such as Diageo or at all. Economic pressures could also cause consumers to choose products which have lower price points, including those of Diageo’s competitors, which may have an adverse effect on Diageo’s business and financial results. The market share, profitability and growth ambitions of Diageo’s brands, as well as Diageo’s reputation more generally, could also be adversely affected by any failure by Diageo to service its customers and consumers with the required agility. In addition, the social acceptability of Diageo’s products may decline due to negative publicity surrounding, and/or public concerns about, alcohol consumption. Such anti-alcohol publicity or sentiment could also result in regulatory action, litigation or customer complaints against companies in the beverage alcohol industry and have an adverse effect on Diageo’s business and financial results. Diageo’s business has historically benefitted from the launch of new to world products or variants of existing brands (with recent examples including the launch of the Ketel One Botanical range and several Smirnoff and Crown Royal innovations), and continuing product innovation and the creation of extensions to existing brands remain significant elements of Diageo’s growth plans. The launch and ongoing success of new to world products or global brand extensions is inherently uncertain, especially with respect to such products’ initial and continuing appeal to consumers. Similarly, brands that Diageo acquires may not deliver the expected benefits and/or may not scale as expected. The failure to successfully launch a new product or an extension of an existing brand, or to maintain the product’s initial popularity, can give rise to inventory write-offs and other costs, as well as negatively impact the consumer perception of and thus the growth of an existing brand. There can be no assurance of Diageo’s continuing ability to develop and launch successful new products or variants of existing products, or to ensure or extend the profitable lifespan of its existing products.

The value of Diageo’s brands and its profitability depends heavily on its ability to maintain its brand image and corporate reputation. Adverse publicity, whether or not justified, may tarnish Diageo’s reputation and cause consumers to purchase products offered by its competitors instead of by Diageo. Such adverse publicity could arise as a result of a perceived failure by Diageo to make adequate positive social contributions, including in relation to the level of taxes paid by Diageo, or by any failure of internal controls or compliance breaches leading to violations of Diageo’s Code of Business Conduct, Code of Ethics, its other key policies or the laws or regulations of the jurisdictions in which it operates. Diageo has also established and may continue to establish relationships with brand founders and/or other public figures to develop and promote its brands, and to establish brand equity, history and authenticity with consumers. If certain such individuals were to stop promoting a Diageo brand or brands contrary to their agreements, Diageo’s business could be adversely affected. Negative claims or publicity involving Diageo, its culture and values, brands, or any of its key employees or brand endorsers could also damage Diageo’s brands and/or reputation, regardless of whether such claims are accurate, and may have a material adverse effect on Diageo’s business and financial results. In addition, Diageo’s ability to maintain, extend, and expand its brand image depends on its ability to adapt to a rapidly changing media environment. Diageo maintains an online presence as part of its business operations, and increasingly relies on social media and online dissemination of advertising campaigns. Diageo’s reputation may suffer if it is perceived to fail to appropriately restrict access to its online content or if it breaches any marketing regulation, code or policy. In addition, the growing use of social and digital media increases the speed and extent that information or misinformation and opinions can be shared. Negative posts or comments about Diageo, its brands or its products on social or digital media, whether or not valid, could seriously damage Diageo’s brands and reputation. Any failure to maintain, extend, and expand Diageo’s brand image or adapt to a changing media environment may have a material adverse effect on Diageo’s business and financial results and reputation, as well as the price of Diageo’s securities.

Diageo is a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales. The majority of Diageo’s directors and officers, and some of the experts named in this document, reside outside of the United States, principally in the United Kingdom. A substantial portion of Diageo’s assets, and all or a substantial portion of the assets of such persons, are located outside of the United States. Therefore, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States upon Diageo or these persons in order to enforce judgments of US courts against Diageo or these persons based on the civil liability provisions of US federal securities laws. There is also doubt as to the enforceability in England and Wales, in original actions or in actions for enforcement of judgments of US courts, of civil liabilities solely based on the US federal securities laws. In addition, punitive damages in actions brought in the United States or elsewhere may be unenforceable in England and Wales.

Diageo has in place internal control and risk management systems in relation to its financial reporting process and its process for the preparation of consolidated financial statements. In addition, management undertakes a review of the consolidated financial statements in order to ensure that the financial position and results of the group are appropriately reflected therein. Diageo is required by the laws of various jurisdictions to publicly disclose its financial results, as well as developments that could materially affect its financial results. Accurate disclosures provide investors and other market professionals with information to understand Diageo’s business. In addition, the reliability of financial reporting is important in ensuring that the business’ management and its results are based on reliable data. Regulators routinely review the financial statements of listed companies such as Diageo for compliance with existing, new or revised accounting and regulatory requirements. Should Diageo be subject to an investigation into potential non-compliance with accounting and disclosure requirements or be found to have breached any such requirements, this may, among other things, lead to restatements of previously reported results, significant penalties, public censure and/or litigation. Any such regulatory action could adversely affect Diageo’s business and financial results, reputation and the price of Diageo’s securities. In addition, defective internal controls could result in inaccuracies or lack of clarity in public disclosures and could result in a material misstatement of financial reporting. This could create market uncertainty regarding the reliability of the data presented and have an adverse impact on Diageo’s reputation and the price of Diageo’s securities.

There can be no assurance that Diageo’s business strategies will result in opportunities for growth and improved margins. Part of Diageo’s growth strategy includes expanding its business in certain emerging market countries (including in Asia and Africa) where consumer spending in general, and spending on Diageo’s products in particular, has historically not been significant, but where Diageo believes there are strong prospects for growth. There is no guarantee that this strategy will be successful, and some of these markets may represent a higher risk in terms of their changing regulatory environments and higher degrees of uncertainty over levels of consumer spending. As part of its growth strategy, Diageo also made several acquisitions in the US and UK in recent years, and it is possible that Diageo may not be able to derive the expected benefits from these acquisitions and/or may experience unexpected integration challenges. In the future, Diageo’s business strategies will, almost certainly, give rise to further business combinations, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and/or partnerships (including any associated financing or the assumption of actual or potential liabilities, depending on the transaction contemplated). However, there can be no assurance that any such transaction would be completed and/or that it would deliver the anticipated benefits, cost savings or synergies. The success of any transaction also depends in part on Diageo’s ability to successfully integrate new businesses with its existing operations. Acquisitions may also expose Diageo to liabilities it may not be aware of at the time of the acquisition, for example if acquired companies and business do not act, or have not acted, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The ongoing issues in USL detailed in note 18 to the consolidated financial statements provide an example of integration and legal challenges. Diageo may from time to time hold interests and investments in joint ventures and associated companies in which it has a non-controlling interest and may continue to do so. In these cases, Diageo may have limited influence over, and limited or no control of, the governance, performance and cost of operations of the joint ventures and associated companies. Some of these joint ventures and associated companies may represent significant investments, and these investee entities or other joint venture partners or equity holders may make business, financial or investment decisions contrary to Diageo's interests (including with respect to the distribution of profits and dividends) or may make decisions different from those that Diageo itself may have made. or may make decisions different from those that Diageo itself may have made. Similarly, there can be no assurance that the global productivity and simplification programmes implemented by Diageo in recent years in order to drive efficiencies and cost savings, or other programmes designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of end-to-end operations, will deliver the expected benefits. Such programmes may also result in significant costs to Diageo or may have other adverse impacts on the business and operations of the group. Certain of Diageo’s aged product categories may mature over periods of up to 30 years, and forecasts of demand for such products in future periods are subject to significant uncertainty. There is an inherent risk of forecasting error in determining the quantity of maturing stock to lay down in a given year for future consumption as a result of changes in business strategy, market demand and unplanned shifts in consumer preferences, introductions of competing products and other changes in market conditions. Any forecasting error could lead to Diageo being unable to meet the objectives of its business strategy, future demand or lead to a surplus of inventory and consequent write- down in value of maturing stocks. If Diageo is unable to accurately forecast demand for its products or efficiently manage its inventory, this may have a material adverse effect on Diageo’s business and financial results.

Diageo operates a number of pension plans throughout the world, which vary in accordance with local conditions and practices. The majority of these pension plans are defined benefit plans and are funded by payments to separately administered trusts or insurance companies. The ability of these pension plans to meet their pension obligations may be affected by, among other things, the performance of assets owned by these pension plans, the liabilities in connection with the pension plans, the underlying actuarial assumptions used to calculate the surplus or deficit in the plans, in particular the discount rate and long-term inflation rates used to calculate the liabilities of the pension funds, and any changes in applicable laws and regulations. If there are significant declines in financial markets and/or deterioration in the value of fund assets or changes in discount rates or inflation rates, Diageo may need to make substantial contributions to these pension funds in the future. Furthermore, if the market values of the assets held by Diageo’s pension funds decline, the valuations of assets by the pension trustees decline or the valuation of liabilities in connection with pension plans increase, pension expenses may increase which, as a result, could materially adversely affect Diageo’s financial position. There is no assurance that interest rates or inflation rates will remain constant, that pension fund assets can earn the assumed rate of return annually or that the value of liabilities will not fluctuate significantly. Diageo’s actual experience may also be significantly more negative than the assumptions used.

Diageo has a presence in over 180 countries worldwide, and it may be adversely affected by global economic volatility or unfavourable economic developments in any of the countries where it has distribution networks, marketing companies or production facilities. In particular, Diageo’s business is dependent on general economic conditions in its major markets, which include the United States, the United Kingdom, the countries that form the European Union, and certain countries within the Asia Pacific region such as India and China, and failure to react quickly enough to changes in those economies could have an adverse effect on financial performance. The Covid-19 pandemic has created extreme economic volatility which has had a significant impact on the markets in which Diageo operates and Diageo’s business. The medium to long-term economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is still uncertain and the rate of economic recovery could vary significantly between and even within markets. Any future significant deterioration in economic conditions globally or in any of Diageo’s important markets (including any further deterioration as a result of the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic), including economic slowdowns, global, regional or local recessions or depressions, currency instability, increased unemployment levels, increased custom duties, tariffs and/or other tax rates, inflationary pressures and/or disruptions to credit and capital markets, could lead to eroded consumer confidence and decreased consumer spending more generally, which in turn could reduce consumer demand for Diageo’s products. Unfavourable economic conditions could also negatively impact Diageo’s customers, distributors, suppliers, and financial counterparties, who may experience cash flow problems, increased credit defaults, decreases in disposable income or other financial issues, which could lead to customer destocking as well as an increase in Diageo’s bad debt expense. In addition, volatility in the capital and credit markets caused by unfavourable economic developments and uncertainties, including those related to the Covid-19 pandemic, could result in a reduction in the availability of, or an increase in the cost of, financing to Diageo. Diageo’s business could also be affected by other economic developments such as fluctuations in currency exchange rates, the imposition of any import, investment or currency restrictions (including the potential impact of any global, regional or local trade wars or any tariffs, customs duties or other restrictions or barriers imposed on the import or export of goods between territories, including but not limited to, imports into and exports from the United States, China the United Kingdom, and/or the European Union), the imposition of economic or trade sanctions, or any restrictions on the repatriation of earnings and capital. Any of these developments may have a material adverse effect on Diageo’s forecasting and/or financial performance. Diageo’s operations are also subject to a variety of other risks and uncertainties related to its global operations, including adverse political, social or other developments. Political and/or social unrest or uncertainties, natural disasters, disease outbreaks (including the Covid-19 pandemic and any future epidemics or pandemics, and government responses thereto), politically-motivated violence and terrorist threats and/or acts, including those which are specifically directed at the alcohol industry, may also occur in countries where Diageo has operations, such as has been recently experienced in South Africa. There is also a risk that the period of economic and political uncertainty and complexity surrounding the United Kingdom’s recent departure from the European Union could contribute to volatility in exchange rates, wider risks to supply chains and potentially ultimately lead to changes in market access or trading terms (including to customs duties, tariffs and/or industry-specific requirements and regulations), as well as generally increased legal and regulatory complexity and costs. The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union could also have further implications for the constitutional makeup of the United Kingdom as a result of renewed discussions surrounding further devolved governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland and/or possible independence for Scotland. This could result in a further period of political uncertainty in the United Kingdom and otherwise adversely affect Diageo’s business and financial results, particularly since Diageo has substantial operations and inventory located in Scotland. Many of the above risks are heightened, or occur more frequently, in emerging markets. A substantial portion of Diageo’s operations is conducted in emerging markets, which represented approximately 38% of Diageo’s net sales for the year ended 30 June 2021. In general, emerging markets are also exposed to relatively higher risks attributable to unstable governments, corruption, crime and lack of law enforcement, undeveloped or biased legal systems, expropriation of assets, sovereign default, military conflicts, liquidity constraints, inflation, devaluation, price volatility and currency convertibility issues, as well as other legal and regulatory risks and uncertainties. Developments in emerging markets can affect Diageo’s ability to import or export products and to repatriate funds, as well as impact levels of consumer demand (for example, in duty-free outlets at airports or in on-trade premises in affected regions) and therefore Diageo’s levels of sales or profitability. Any of these factors may affect Diageo disproportionately or in a different manner from its competitors, depending on Diageo’s specific exposure to any particular emerging market, and could have a material adverse effect on Diageo’s business and financial results.

A novel strain of coronavirus (Covid-19) was first identified in Wuhan, China in late 2019, and, in March 2020, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. This public health crisis precipitated by the pandemic, which subsequently spread globally, as well as measures taken by national governments, other regulatory bodies and businesses in response to the pandemic, have caused and are continuing to cause business slowdowns or shutdowns in affected areas, as well as general economic instability and disruption to Diageo's operations. At this time, there is still some uncertainty as to the longer-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Diageo's business and operations and it is possible that the future impact will be greater than expected if, for example, vaccination rollouts are slower than expected or if other preventative measures become less effective (including against any new variants of Covid-19 that are identified). To date, the direct impacts on Diageo's business from the Covid-19 pandemic have included, but are not limited to: –the closure of and/or other restrictions being placed upon on-trade channels such as bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues in a significant number of Diageo's markets globally (including, in particular, in Europe and Turkey) as a result of government social distancing mandates and/or other factors, which have impacted the volume of Diageo's products sold via those channels (including Guinness, which has been significantly impacted by on-trade closures in the UK and Ireland) and which, in the longer-term, may lead to shifts in consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns; –temporary disruptions to Diageo's ability to operate certain of its production and other facilities due to regulatory restrictions or other factors, as well as the implementation of heightened safety protocols in all of Diageo's facilities and offices worldwide leading to restrictions to access, reductions in activity levels, employees of Diageo and its suppliers and distributors not being able to work at all or work as efficiently due to home working, illness, quarantines or other factors, as well as other additional costs; –wider disruptions to Diageo's supply chains and/or those of its suppliers, distributors and/or customers; and –the imposition of travel restrictions by numerous jurisdictions combined with public concern about travel resulting in significant declines in passenger numbers, particularly for air travel, leading to a substantial reduction in net sales in Diageo's Travel Retail business. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and related response measures worldwide, including the impacts described above, have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on global economic conditions, as well as on Diageo’s business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, with recovery expected to be dependent on the success of public health measures, the impact of economic policies, and how quickly consumers choose to return to bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues, as well as resume international travel. However, even those regions that are beginning to experience business recovery or the scaling back of response measures, such as the United States and Europe, may experience further impacts from Covid-19 (including from any new variants of the Covid-19 virus that emerge), and economic activity in those regions may not recover quickly or at all, which could materially adversely impact global economic conditions. This could in turn lead to a further decline in discretionary spending by consumers. In addition, a global outbreak of another novel public health threat, or fear of such an event, could result in a resurgence of government restrictions and regulations and result in any of the impacts described above. Diageo conducts impairment reviews as and when required in accordance with applicable accounting standards, to ensure that, among other things, intangible assets, including brands, are not carried at above their recoverable amounts. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and related response measures, in particular with respect to expectations of future cash flows, contributed to approximately £1.3 billion in impairments recognised by the Diageo group during its fiscal year ended 30 June 2020, primarily impacting assets located in India, Korea, Nigeria and Ethiopia where, in some cases, already challenging economic conditions and/or other factors were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Although there were no further material write-downs during the fiscal year ended 30 June 2021, further material write-downs or impairments may need to be recognised during future periods due to potential continuing impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global economic conditions has impacted and may continue to impact the proper functioning of financial and capital markets, as well as foreign currency exchange rates, commodity and energy prices and interest rates. Responses to the Covid-19 pandemic may also result in both short-term and long-term changes to fiscal and tax policies in impacted jurisdictions, including increases in tax rates. Although Diageo completed bond issuances under both its European and US shelf programmes during 2020 and may take other actions to enhance its liquidity, there is no guarantee that Diageo’s existing arrangements or any future arrangements will provide sufficient liquidity over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and related response measures may adversely impact Diageo’s liquidity or financial position. In addition, a continuation or worsening of the levels of market disruption and volatility seen in the recent past, either as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic or of the emergence of any other new international public health threat, could have an adverse effect on Diageo’s ability to access, or costs of, capital or borrowings, its liquidity, its financial position, its adjusted net debt to EBITDA ratio, its ability to comply with any applicable financial covenants or its credit ratings. Any of the foregoing developments may have a material adverse effect on Diageo’s business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. In addition, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, or any other future epidemics or pandemics, may also have the effect of heightening many of the risks described elsewhere within this annual report.

Diageo is engaged in an international business that operates in, and makes sales into, countries with different currencies, while its financial results are presented in sterling. As a result, Diageo is subject to foreign currency risk due to exchange rate movements, which affects the sterling value of its transactions, as well as the translation to sterling of the results and underlying net assets of its operations. In particular, approximately 42% of Diageo’s net sales in the year ended 30 June 2021 were in US dollars, approximately 9% were in euros and approximately 8% were in sterling. Movements in exchange rates used to translate foreign currencies into sterling may have a significant impact on Diageo’s reported results of operations from year to year. Exchange rate fluctuations may also expose Diageo to increased interest expense on borrowings denominated in currencies which appreciate against the sterling. As a result, Diageo’s business and financial results may be adversely affected by fluctuations in exchange rates. In addition, Diageo may be adversely impacted by fluctuations in interest rates, mainly through increased interest expense.

Given the importance of brand recognition to its business, Diageo has invested considerable effort in protecting its intellectual property rights, including trademark registration and domain names. Diageo’s patents cover some of its process technology, including some aspects of its bottle marking technology. Diageo also uses security measures and agreements to protect its confidential information and trade secrets. However, Diageo cannot be certain that the steps it has taken will be sufficient or that third parties will not infringe on or misappropriate its intellectual property rights in its brands or products or, indeed, that Diageo will not inadvertently infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights. Moreover, some of the countries in which Diageo operates offer less intellectual property protection than Europe or North America. Given the attractiveness of Diageo’s brands to consumers, it is not uncommon for counterfeit products to be manufactured and traded in certain jurisdictions. Diageo cannot be certain that the steps it takes to assist the authorities to prevent, detect and eliminate counterfeit products will be effective in preventing material loss of profits or erosion of brand equity resulting from lower quality or even dangerous counterfeit product reaching the market. If Diageo is unable to protect its intellectual property rights against infringement or misappropriation, this could materially harm its future financial results and ability to develop its business.

Diageo relies on information technology (IT) systems, networks and services, including internet sites, data hosting and processing tools, hardware (including laptops and mobile devices), software, and technical platforms and applications, to process, store and transmit large amounts of data and to help it manage its business. Diageo uses its IT systems, networks and services for, among other key business functions, the hosting of its primary and brand-specific websites and its internal network and communications systems; supply and production planning, execution and shipping; the collection and storage of customer, consumer, IR and employee data; processing various types of transactions, including summarising and reporting its results of operations; the development and storage of strategic corporate plans; and ensuring compliance with various legal, regulatory and tax requirements. As with all large systems, Diageo’s IT systems, including those managed or hosted by third parties, could be subject to sophisticated cyber-attacks (including phishing and ransomware attacks) and IT threats by external or internal parties intent on disrupting production or other business processes or otherwise extracting or corrupting information. In recent years, ransomware attacks against some of Diageo’s peers have become more frequent, which has increased the likelihood of Diageo being targeted for a similar cyber-attack. Diageo’s vulnerability to such cyber-attacks could also be increased due to a significant proportion of its employees working remotely during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unauthorised access to Diageo’s IT systems could disrupt Diageo’s business, including its beverage alcohol and other production capabilities, and/or lead to theft, loss or misappropriation of critical assets or to outside parties having access to confidential or even highly confidential information, including privileged data, personal data or strategic information of Diageo and its current or former employees, customers and consumers. Such information could also be made public in a manner that harms Diageo’s reputation and financial results and, particularly in the case of personal data, could lead to regulators imposing significant fines on Diageo. Diageo’s use of shared business services centres, located in Hungary, Colombia, the Philippines and India, to deliver transaction processing activities for markets and operational entities also means that any sustained disruption to a centre or issue impacting the reliability of the information systems used could impact a large portion of Diageo’s business operations. The captive shared business services centres in Hungary and India also perform certain central finance activities, including elements of financial planning and reporting, treasury and HR services. Any transitions of transaction processes to, from or within shared business services centres, as well as other projects which impact Diageo’s IT systems, could lead to business disruption. In addition, if Diageo does not allocate and properly manage the resources necessary to build, sustain and protect these centres or its wider IT systems, it could be subject to losses attributable to processing inefficiencies, the unexpected failure of computer systems, devices and software used by its IT platforms, production or supply chain disruptions, the unintended disclosure of sensitive business or personal data and the corruption or loss of accounting data necessary for it to produce accurate and timely financial reports. In certain circumstances, such disruptions or failures could also result in property damage, breaches of regulations, litigation, legal liabilities and reparation costs, thereby having a material adverse effect on Diageo’s business and financial results. International and domestic security risks including terrorism, as well as natural hazards, also pose a threat to the safety of Diageo’s employees and third parties at its sites and events, as well as its property and products. Diageo operates production facilities around the world. If there was a technical failure, or a fire, explosion, flood or other significant event, at one or more of Diageo’s production facilities, this could result in significant damage to the facilities, plant or equipment, their surroundings and/or the local environment and/or injury or loss of life. Such an event could also lead to a loss of production capacity, result in regulatory action or legal liability, and/or damage Diageo’s reputation. Diageo has a substantial inventory of aged product categories, including scotch whisky, which may mature over periods of up to 30 years or more. A substantial portion of this maturing inventory is stored in Scotland, and the loss through contamination, fire or other natural disaster of all or a portion of the stock of any one of those aged product categories could result in a significant reduction in supply of those products, and consequently, Diageo would not be able to meet consumer demand for those products as such demand arises. There can be no assurance that insurance proceeds would cover the replacement value of Diageo’s maturing inventory or other assets in the event that such assets were lost due to contamination, fire or natural disasters, destruction resulting from negligence or the acts of third parties, or any failure of information systems or data infrastructure.