Heineken is to cull up thousands of jobs jobs across “all levels in the organisation”, amid declining demand for beer.
The Dutch brewing giant is to undertake a two-year restructure, affecting between 5,000 and 6,000 roles.
Cuts would come from accelerating ongoing consolidation in Europe, closing breweries and by merging smaller markets into “clusters”, Heineken CFO van den Broek told investors on Wednesday (11 February).
“It really touches all levels in the organisation,” van den Broek said of the restructure, adding digital transformation including increased use of AI would also unlock further productivity savings.
Last November Heineken announced plans to close its Namysłów Brewery in Poland in 2026, having shuttered Brixton Brewery in south London late 2024.
It comes after Heineken reported a 1.2% decline in beer volumes in the year ended 31 December 2025.
Revenues, however, climbed by 0.2% organically to €34.3bn, with over 60% of the company’s markets gaining or holding market share.
Sluggish volumes in Europe and the Americas weighed down on sales, however.
Despite this, outgoing Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink praised the company’s “resilient and well-balanced” performance.
“We gained share, drove cost and cash productivity, and increased investment behind our brands,” said van den Brink. “Combined with agility and our advantaged footprint, this helped us navigate volatility and deliver within our guidance range.”
Despite posting better-than-expected profit growth of 4.4%, Heineken cut its guidance for next year, stating it now expected profits to grow by between 2%-6% in 2026, down from the 4%-8% range it had previously guided for last year.
Analysts at Bernstein described the guidance as “prudent, given the massive cost-cuts that are underway”.
Jefferies analysts, however, said they felt it was “relatively conservative, at this stage”.
Heineken shares climbed by 3% in mid-morning trading.
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