The brewer outlines major cost reductions and restructuring as European firms respond to softer demand.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Heineken announced Feb. 11 that it will eliminate between 5,000 and 6,000 positions over the next two years while projecting slower operating profit growth in 2026.
The Dutch brewing company unveiled the workforce reductions alongside its 2025 full-year results and introduced a new long-term framework, EverGreen 2030, which will replace its prior EverGreen 2025 plan.
Chief Executive Officer Dolf van den Brink said the company intends to “accelerate productivity at scale to unlock significant savings,” a shift that will include changes to Heineken’s operating model and the planned job reductions.
“We remain prudent in our near-term expectations for beer market conditions,” van den Brink said.
For 2026, Heineken expects operating profit to increase between 2 percent and 6 percent, a more modest pace than achieved in 2025. The company cited continued caution around macroeconomic conditions and consumer demand.
In 2025, Heineken’s total volume declined 1.2 percent. However, the flagship Heineken brand recorded a 2.7 percent increase in volume, and the company’s global brands portfolio rose 1.9 percent.
Heineken reported that more than 60 percent of its markets either gained or maintained market share during the year, including over 80 percent of its designated priority growth markets.
“In 2025, we delivered a resilient and well-balanced performance,” van den Brink said. “We gained share, drove cost and cash productivity, and increased investment behind our brands.”
The EverGreen 2030 strategy emphasizes tighter capital allocation and value creation. Van den Brink described growth acceleration as the company’s top priority, funded by stepped-up productivity efforts and structural cost interventions over the next two years.
Heineken said it assumes broadly stable consumer conditions across most markets in 2026 but remains cautious about economic uncertainty. Variable costs are projected to rise by a low single-digit percentage per hectoliter, driven largely by currency effects on inflation bases, particularly in Africa.
The brewer expects its effective tax rate to range between 27 percent and 28 percent in 2026, with capital expenditures below 8 percent of net revenue. It also stated that its completed acquisition of FIFCO’s beverage and retail businesses in Central America is expected to add approximately 2 percent to 3 percent to earnings per share.
Heineken’s restructuring follows a broader pattern of cost-cutting announcements among European corporations.
Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML disclosed Jan. 28 plans to reduce its workforce by roughly 1,700 positions as part of a technology and IT restructuring effort, despite reporting record fourth-quarter 2025 orders.
Austria-based AMS OSRAM indicated Feb. 10 that about 2,000 employees would be affected by its cost-reduction program. Sweden’s Ericsson said Jan. 15 it plans to eliminate approximately 1,600 roles as it navigates a prolonged slowdown in telecom industry spending.
Telefónica outlined Dec. 22 exit programs affecting around 5,500 employees across seven Spanish subsidiaries as part of its strategic overhaul. Nestlé previously announced Oct. 16, 2025, that approximately 16,000 positions—about 5.8 percent of its global workforce—would be eliminated as it accelerates its artificial intelligence strategy.
Heineken’s planned reductions add to a growing list of restructuring measures across Europe as companies adjust to shifting demand patterns and economic headwinds.
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