The world’s second-largest brewer is accelerating cost savings as demand softens in key markets and its chief executive prepares to step down.
Under-pressure Dutch brewer Heineken said on Wednesday it would scrap up to 6,000 jobs as it faces what it described as "challenging market conditions".
The company said it would be "accelerating productivity at scale to unlock significant savings, reducing 5,000 to 6,000 roles over the next two years".
Heineken has been warning for months that beer demand is softening in key markets and that consumers are becoming more price-sensitive after years of inflation and repeated price rises across the sector.
The company’s latest update showed volumes fell in 2025, with particularly sharp declines in Europe and the Americas, while it forecast slower profit growth in 2026 — a backdrop that has increased pressure to find savings.
"We remain prudent in our near-term expectations for beer market conditions," Chief Executive Dolf van den Brink said in a statement.
Van den Brink stunned the company last month by announcing that he would be stepping down after almost six years at the helm.
He told reporters he was leaving with "mixed emotions" after acknowledging in January that he had guided the company "through turbulent economic and political times".
The world's second-biggest brewer after AB InBev said overall beer volumes were down 2.4% last year.
The decline was especially severe in Europe and the Americas, which dropped 4.1% and 3.5%, respectively.
The brewer has also been undergoing a broader restructuring tied to its longer-term “EverGreen 2030” strategy.
In October 2025, Heineken announced it would reshape its global head office, including changes aimed at simplifying the organisation and expanding shared services and digitalisation.
Today’s job-cut plan — described as “accelerating productivity at scale” — fits into that wider drive to centralise functions and reduce costs.
Looking ahead to 2026, Heineken forecast full-year operating profit of between 2% and 6%. Heineken employs around 87,000 people globally.
