Heineken to cut up to 6,000 jobs as beer demand falters

[LONDON] Heineken on Wednesday (Feb 11) said that it would cut up to 6,000 jobs from its global workforce and set lower expectations for profit growth in 2026 than the year before. This comes as the Dutch brewer and its peers grapple with the weak demand for beers.

The world’s No 2 brewer by market value has promised to deliver higher growth with fewer resources, under a new strategy that runs until 2030.

Brewers have been struggling to generate sales growth due to a number of factors, including strained consumer finances, geopolitical turbulence and bad weather.

This productivity drive will unlock significant savings and reduce its global head count by 5,000 to 6,000 positions over the next two years, it added.

Chief executive officer Dolf van den Brink, who abruptly announced his resignation in January amid slow sales and frustration from some investors, said that Heineken’s “significant cost intervention” would help fund its first priority – accelerating growth.

It will “unlock stronger people productivity and enable greater speed and efficiency”, he continued, adding that Heineken remained prudent about its expectations for the beer market in the future.

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It also trimmed its forecast profit growth range for 2026 against the year before, saying that it expects to grow profits between 2 and 6 per cent, rather than the 4 to 8 per cent growth it guided for in 2025.

It makes Tiger and Amstel, alongside its namesake lager.

The brewer reported forecast-beating annual organic operating profit, which grew 4.4 per cent in 2025 versus analyst expectations for a 4 per cent growth. REUTERS