Dutch brewing giant Heineken has announced plans to eliminate between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs globally over the next two years.
The move, equivalent to nearly seven per cent of its 87,000-strong workforce, comes as it grapples with weakening beer sales and challenging market conditions.
The cuts, revealed alongside full-year 2025 results today, form part of an accelerated productivity drive and efforts to drive up savings – potentially up to €500 million annually – to fund future growth and strengthen operations.
In October 2025, the company announced plans to cut €2 billion in costs.
Finance chief Harold van den Broek told reporters the measures would involve closing breweries, merging operations and reducing roles across brewing and white-collar functions, with many impacts expected in Europe.
Heineken’s CEO Dolf van den Brink, who is due to step down in May after six years, said: “Our first priority is to accelerate growth, funded by stepped up productivity and operating model changes that will involve a significant cost intervention over the next two years.”
The announcement comes despite a resilient bottom line.
Heineken reported a 4.4 per cent rise in operating profit to €4.39 billion for 2025, with net profit around €1.9 billion on revenues of nearly €34.3 billion.
Beer volumes, though, fell 1.2 per cent for the full year – with sharper declines in Europe and the Americas – and shipments dropped 2.4 per cent in some metrics, reflecting subdued consumer demand.
Executives pointed to broader industry pressures: Cost-of-living squeezes, health-conscious shifts, especially among younger drinkers turning away from alcohol, rising prices and moderating consumption post-pandemic.
Beer demand has faltered in key markets, prompting similar cost-cutting among peers.
Heineken Silver, a beer containing 4 per cent alcohol, grew with almost 30 per cent.
Looking ahead, Heineken lowered its outlook for 2026, forecasting operating profit growth of 2 per cent to 6 per cent – down from the 4 per cent to 8 per cent range guided for 2025 – as it anticipates continued headwinds.
Shares in Heineken rose around 3.5 per cent on the news today, suggesting investors viewed the decisive action positively amid the slowdown.
The job reductions build on earlier measures, including 400 roles cut or reassigned at its Amsterdam headquarters in late 2025 to leverage new technologies, including AI-driven efficiencies.
The full impact on specific regions and sites will unfold over the coming months.
