It is understood that around 150 Irish-based jobs are under threat at Guinness parent company Diageo.
The drinks giant has informed the Irish Government of potential job cuts.
A spokesperson for the Department of Enterprise said it received a notification of proposed collective redundancies from Diageo Ireland yesterday.
“Any further queries should be directed to the company,” the Department said.
Diageo has not confirmed how many jobs are under threat but is understood that around 150 Irish-based roles are at risk.
The company employs more than 1,200 people in Ireland across brewing, production of liqueurs, marketing, sales and commercial.
A Diageo spokesperson said that in February it shared its intention to redesign its operating framework, to drive sustainable returns for shareholders by delivering a more competitive Diageo.
“We will always prioritise informing our colleagues of any organisational changes first and have committed to update shareholders on our progress at a Capital Markets Day on 6 August,” the spokesperson said.
Diageo makes drinks including Guinness, Baileys, Smithwicks, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff.
Last week, the Financial Times reported that Diageo’s new boss, Dave Lewis, asked executives to cut headcount and other costs as he begins restructuring the group.
Mr Lewis, nicknamed “Drastic Dave” for aggressive cost cuts at Tesco and Unilever, has set cost-reduction targets for members of Diageo’s executive committee rather than specifying number of roles to eliminate, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
An internal announcement on the scale of the job losses is expected this week, the report added.
Mr Lewis said last month the company had begun tackling weak sales in North America, its largest market, which he called its “biggest challenge”, with steps including price cuts on some tequila brands such as Casamigos.
He also said Diageo had undertaken “fundamental” work to address competitiveness around the world.
