Heineken to cut 6,000 jobs as people drink less beer

Heineken is to cut up to 6,000 jobs globally over the next two years – close to 7% of its workforce – as the Dutch brewer struggles with falling demand for beer.The company, which makes Heineken, Amstel and Tiger, said the cuts would come from brewing and white-collar roles among its 87,000-strong global workforce as it faced “challenging market conditions”.It came as the world’s second-largest brewer by market value lowered its forecasts for profit growth in 2026.“We really do this to strengthen our operations and to be able to invest in growth,” the brewer’s head of finance, Harold van den Broek, told reporters after the company released its annual results.Some jobs would be lost in Europe as well as other markets, he said, adding that some cuts would come from previously announced measures affecting Heineken’s supply network, head office and regional business divisions.The job cuts come just a month after the surprise resignation of the chief executive, Dolf van den Brink, in January, after six years in the top job. Van den Brink, who will step down in May, had been under pressure to increase Heineken’s growth and productivity, with fewer resources, after investors accused the company of becoming less efficient.Heineken said the job cuts were aimed at “accelerating productivity at scale to unlock significant savings”.The company has forecast slower profit growth of between 2% and 6% this year, compared with the 4-8% growth it predicted in 2025.It came as Heineken reported a 1.2% fall in total beer volumes last year compared with 2024, at a time when the company and its rivals are fighting declining beer sales, particularly in Europe and North America.Squeezed household finances have played a role, while some consumers are drinking less alcohol because of health concerns and others have cut back after changing their diet and lifestyle while taking weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy.Heineken shares rose by as much as 4% in Amsterdam, taking them to their highest level in more than six months.“Heineken’s investors have welcomed the job cut guidance, pushing up the share price on news that more costs will be coming out of the business,” said Russ Mould, the investment director at the broker AJ Bell.“Whoever becomes Heineken’s new CEO will walk into the top job with many difficult decisions having already been made. There is no news on who will replace Dolf van den Brink when he leaves in May, but the pressure is on to find a new leader fast, and one who can breathe new life into the beer giant.”