Diageo celebrates the so-called ‘Great Indian Weddings’

Diageo is cashing in on the boom in so-called “Big Indian Weddings”.

Getting married in India – one of the FTSE 100 drinks giant’s fastest-growing markets – is typically a grand affair spread over several days and in different locations.

Radhika Merchant’s marriage to Anant Ambani, the son of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, earlier this year brought such extravaganzas to the global spotlight.

The multimillion-dollar festivities included a performance by pop superstar Rihanna as well as a 1,200-strong guest list ranging from tech moguls to former world leaders.

Diageo said it had worked on more than 70 celebrity and billionaire weddings in the past year alone. Pop-up bars serving its brands and personalised bottles are generating a huge revenue stream for the group.

Indian celebrations are notoriously boozy, and weddings often feature custom drinks menus that include expensive liquors.

Whisky is one of the most popular drinks in India, with a particular fondness for Godawan single malt whisky, an Indian whisky that costs the equivalent of around £35 a bottle.

The Indian wedding industry is estimated to be worth £98 billion a year, twice the size of the US market. A typical luxury wedding in the country costs between £180,000 and £272,000.

Hina Nagarajan, chief executive of Diageo India, said sales in her region showed no signs of slowing, thanks to a young and increasingly affluent population. Not only is India set to have the third-largest number of high-income households globally by 2030, but it also has a median age of just 28.

Nagarajan said women, traditionally teetotallers, now account for 40 per cent of India’s premium spirits consumers, compared with 25 per cent just two years ago. Diageo’s Indian operation has grown 50 per cent in three years. Sales last year rose 14 per cent to just over £1bn and profits rose 53 per cent to £196m.