A major brewing company is making 6,000 jobs redundant after seeing a 4.7% loss in revenue.
One of the world’s largest brewing companies has announced plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs over the next two years as it grapples with declining sales and what it described as “challenging market conditions.”
Heineken said the reductions, which are expected to total between 5,000 and 6,000 roles, represent nearly 7% of its global workforce of around 87,000 employees, according to Reuters. The job cuts are likely to be concentrated in Europe and other markets deemed to have limited growth prospects.
This comes after a 4.7% decline in revenue (Image: Getty)
Finance chief Harold van den Broek said the move was intended to strengthen the company’s operations and free up resources for future expansion.
“We really do this to strengthen our operations and to be able to invest in growth,” he said during a media call announcing the firm’s annual results.
The restructuring comes after Heineken reported a 2.4% decline in global beer volumes in 2025, alongside a 4.7% drop in revenue.
The company, which owns brands including Heineken, Amstel and Birra Moretti, has been facing pressure from shifting consumer habits, rising costs and intensifying competition in key markets.
Heineken is also in the process of searching for a new chief executive following the surprise resignation of CEO Dolf van den Brink in January, adding another layer of uncertainty to the company’s near-term outlook.
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In the UK, the brewer recently announced price increases across several popular brands.
Prices for Amstel, Birra Moretti, Old Mout cider, John Smith’s Extra Smooth and Inch’s cider rose by 2.7% at the start of February, while Murphy’s Irish Stout remained unchanged.
Foster’s lager, meanwhile, saw a price reduction after Heineken confirmed it would cut the beer’s alcohol content from 3.7% to 3.4%.
These adjustments came ahead of a broader alcohol duty rise of 3.66% earlier this month, in line with inflation.
A spokesperson for Heineken told The Morning Advertiser that the company had kept price increases “as low as possible” and was working to support pubs through “targeted savings and price certainty.”
“We know pubs are still shouldering significant cost pressures,” the spokesperson said.
