Heineken to Cut 6,000 Jobs as Global Beer Sales DeclineDutch brewing giant Heineken has announced plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs over the next two years as the company faces challenging market conditions and a decline in global beer volumes.
The company said it will focus on accelerating productivity at scale to unlock significant savings, reducing between 5,000 and 6,000 roles worldwide. Chief Executive Dolf van den Brink stated:
“We remain prudent in our near-term expectations for beer market conditions.”
Following the announcement, Heineken shares rose around three percent on the Amsterdam stock exchange, signalling investor approval of the cost-cutting measures.
Van den Brink, who announced last month that he would step down after nearly six years as CEO, said he leaves with “mixed emotions”, having guided the company through turbulent economic and political periods.
“My priority for the coming months is to leave Heineken in the strongest possible position,” he told reporters.
Heineken employs roughly 87,000 people worldwide. In October 2025, the company had already announced a restructuring of its Amsterdam head office, cutting or reassigning 400 jobs to embrace new technologies.
European Job Cuts Expected
Executives did not provide a full breakdown of where the reductions would occur, but Chief Financial Officer Harold van den Broek indicated that Europe would likely bear the brunt of the cuts, citing tough operating conditions on the continent.
“Europe is a big part of our business, and it is very tough to drive a good operating leverage there,” he said.
Falling Beer Volumes
Heineken reported a 2.4 percent decline in global beer volumes in 2025, with Europe and the Americas particularly affected, dropping 4.1 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively. Fourth-quarter volumes fell 2.8 percent.
Annual sales amounted to 34.4 billion euros ($41 billion), down from 36.0 billion euros in 2024. Net profits were 2.7 billion euros, representing a 4.9 percent gain from the previous year after adjusting for currency fluctuations.
Looking ahead, Heineken forecasts full-year organic operating profit growth of 2–6 percent in 2026, following a 4.4 percent rise to 4.4 billion euros in 2025.
The job cuts reflect broader challenges in the global beer industry, as changing consumer habits, economic pressures, and declining volumes force major brewers to restructure and reduce costs.