Bottles of Heineken beer are displayed in a supermarket. | REUTERS/Dado Ruvic.
The cuts representing almost 7 percent of Heineken’s roughly 87,000-strong workforce are part of a broader restructuring to “accelerate productivity at scale” and unlock cost savings amid what the company described as challenging market conditions.
Heineken reported that total beer volumes fell in 2025, with declines especially sharp in Europe and the Americas, reflecting tighter household budgets, increased health awareness among younger consumers and competition from alternative beverages.
Finance chief Harold van den Broek said the job reductions are intended to strengthen operations and free up resources for future growth, noting that some cuts would occur in markets with slower performance.
The announcement also came alongside a lower profit growth forecast for 2026, with Heineken expecting operating profits to rise between 2 percent and 6 percent, down from earlier guidance.
The brewer’s leadership is shifting amid these changes: CEO Dolf van den Brink said last month he will step down in May after almost six years at the helm, leaving a key strategic transition to incoming management.
Analysts point to longer-term pressures on the beer industry as a whole including changing drinking patterns among younger generations, general declines in alcohol consumption and broader economic headwinds as factors that have weighed on volume growth and forced major producers to rethink their cost structures.
Investors reacted to the job-cut news with some optimism, as Heineken’s share price posted gains on the Amsterdam exchange following the announcement, reflecting confidence that the cost-savings measures might bolster performance during a difficult market period.
