The parental disregard of the Burger King brand continued through Grand Metropolitan's merger with Guinness in 1997, when the two organizations formed the new holding company Diageo. Eventually, the ongoing, systematic institutional neglect of the brand through the string of owners damaged the company to the point where major franchises were driven out of business and its total value was significantly decreased. Diageo eventually decided to divest itself of the money-losing chain and put the company up for sale in 2000.