By Emma Rumney LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Heineken on Wednesday said it would cut up to 6,000 jobs from its global workforce and set lower expectations for profit growth in 2026 than a year earlier, as the Dutch brewer and its peers grappled with weak demand. The world’s No. 2 brewer by market value, […]
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Heineken to cut up to 6,000 jobs as beer demand falters
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By Emma Rumney
LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Heineken on Wednesday said it would cut up to 6,000 jobs from its global workforce and set lower expectations for profit growth in 2026 than a year earlier, as the Dutch brewer and its peers grappled with weak demand.
The world’s No. 2 brewer by market value, searching for a new CEO following the surprise January resignation of current chief Dolf van den Brink, has promised to deliver higher growth with fewer resources as it looks to assuage dissatisfied investors who say it has fallen behind on efficiency.
At the same time, sales across the sector are faltering amid strained consumer finances, geopolitical turbulence and bad weather.
SET FOR JOB CUTS, SAVINGS IN PRODUCTIVITY DRIVE
The maker of Tiger and Amstel alongside its namesake lager said this productivity drive will unlock savings and reduce its global head count by 5,000 to 6,000 positions over the next two years. That’s almost 7% of its global workforce of 87,000 people.
“We really do this to strengthen our operations and to be able to invest in growth,” finance chief Harold van den Broek said on a media call announcing the company’s annual results.
Some of the cuts would be focused on Europe or non-priority markets offering fewer growth prospects, he said, and some would also result from previously announced initiatives targeting Heineken’s supply network, head office and regional business units.
PROFIT OUTLOOK LOWER
Outgoing-CEO van den Brink, who steps down in May, said there was no update on the brewer’s search for a successor.
Along with weak demand, Heineken and rivals like Anheuser-Busch InBev face long-term declines in beer sales in some key markets, dented by issues such concerns over the health impact of alcohol consumption and the rise of weightloss drugs.
Heineken expects slower profit growth for 2026 of between 2% and 6%, against the 4% to 8% growth it guided for in 2025.
The brewer reported forecast-beating annual organic operating profit, which grew 4.4% in 2025 versus analyst expectations for 4%.
(Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Thomas Derpinghaus and Bernadette Baum)