DRINKS giant Diageo has secured planning approval for a £26 million expansion of its Baileys operation in Co Antrim.

The Mallusk site is one of only two global production sites of the well-known cream liqueur.

Diageo produces more than 60 million bottles of Baileys every year from the Co Antrim operation, sending them to 150 countries worldwide. 

The Guinness-maker originally launched its expansion plan for the 17-acre site in 2022.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s planning committee signed off on the planning approval this week.

Diageo said the investment will see improvements in its logistics and warehousing facilities. Work on the multi-year project is expected to commence in early 2024.

Lesley Allen, operations manager at Baileys Mallusk, said: “The extension will support the storage, delivery and distribution of raw materials and finished goods and we are looking forward to the opportunities it will create for us.

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“Baileys makes a considerable contribution to the local economy in Northern Ireland, and over 97 per cent of our output is shipped around the world.

“We are confident that the planned extension will support Diageo’s wider growth strategy, building on the £40m investment we made in opening the site in 2003 and the ongoing investments to further develop the facility and the Baileys brand.”

The concept for Baileys was first conceived in 1973 by two London-based employees of International Distillers and Vintners (IDV), which through several mergers, eventually became part of Diageo.

Diageo is also progressing a £24.5m expansion of its packaging facility in east Belfast in a bid to double canning production.