Heineken, the world's second-largest beer producer based in the Netherlands, announced plans to reduce its global workforce by between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs over the next two years after facing continuous sales slowdowns toward the end of 2025.
The company stated today (11 Feb) that the job cuts are part of a previously announced cost-reduction plan aimed at saving several hundred million euros annually, with the goal to "accelerate broad operational efficiency to achieve significant cost savings."
The staff reduction plan follows Heineken's report that beer sales volume fell 1.7% in the last quarter of 2025 amid weak consumer spending, with total beer sales for the year dropping 2.4%.
By region, the hardest-hit markets were Europe, with sales down 4.1%, and the Americas, which declined 3.5%, reflecting consumer behavior slowing their alcohol consumption in these areas.
However, Heineken still achieved an improved adjusted operating profit of 4.385 billion euros in 2025, a 4.4% increase from the previous year, aligning with analyst expectations.
The company, producer of well-known brands such as Heineken, Tiger, and Amstel, said its new strategy through 2030 aims to deliver higher growth with fewer resources.
Looking ahead to 2026, Heineken expects full-year operating profit growth between 2% and 6%, which is below the prior forecast of 4% to 8% for 2025.
The company added that its plan to improve production efficiency will reduce global workforce numbers and generate long-term cost savings. Currently, Heineken employs about 87,000 people worldwide.
Despite the job cuts, the company’s organic operating profit (which excludes income or expenses from acquisitions, disposals, or currency effects) in 2025 exceeded analyst forecasts, growing 4.4% compared to the expected 4%.
Analysts view this restructuring as a response to changing consumer behavior, rising production costs, and intensified competition in the alcoholic beverage market, forcing major producers to adapt quickly to maintain long-term competitiveness.