LONDON, Jan 30 Reuters Diageo, the world39;s top spirits maker, missed firsthalf sales estimates on Tuesday, as a sharp decline in Latin America weighed on its overall performance.

The maker of Johnnie Walker whisky and Tanquery gin reported a 0.6 fall in organic net sales, slightly missing analyst estimates for flat organic sales, according to a company compiled consensus.

Diageo warned in November that sales in Latin America and the Caribbean were set to decline by over 20 amid a buildup of unsold stock in Mexico and Brazil, where drinkers were buying less premium spirits.

The move knocked investor confidence and some shareholders were unhappy with how the company, led by new Chief Executive Officer Debra Crew, had handled the runup to the warning.

We have taken action and have further plans to reduce inventory to more appropriate levels for the current consumer environment in the region by the end of fiscal 24, Crew said in a statement, adding this was a key priority.

Sales in the region fell 23. Excluding the impact of the division, organic net sales grew 2.5 driven by Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa, with a decline of 1.5 in North America.

Organic operating profit fell 5.4, a worse result than forecast by analysts, who expected a decline of 4.7 on average.

Diageo said it still expects organic net sales growth to improve in the second half of its financial year.

Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Matthew Scuffham

Source Reuters