Brewing giant Heineken has said it plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs amid efforts to drive cost savings.
The company, which also makes Amstel and Birra Moretti, revealed the plans in the face of weaker demand for beer amid “challenging market conditions”.
Heineken said it will cut between 5,000 and 6,000 roles over the next two years, in a move which will impact up to 7% of its global workforce.
Heineken’s UK arm, which has headquarters in Edinburgh and other sites in London, Manchester, Tadcaster, Hereford, and Ledbury, employs around 2,100 people.
The group’s Star Pubs and Bars arm also operates 2,400 venues across the UK.
The Dutch brewer has not disclosed how the UK operation will be affected.
It is understood that much of the cuts will include brewery closures and consolidation already taking place, as well as merging smaller markets and centralising back-office operations.
The plans are part of efforts to drive savings in order to improve profitability amid a challenging consumer backdrop.
On Wednesday, Heineken reported that total sales volumes fell by 1.2% in 2025, despite stronger volumes for the Heineken beer brand.
Total revenues fell by 4.7% year-on-year to 34.3 billion euros (£29.8 billion) while operating profits slipped by 3.2% to 3.4 billion euros for the year (£2.97 billion).
Heineken reported that it was impacted by a decline across the beer market in Europe in the face of “consumer price sensitivity”.
Total drinks volumes fell by 3.4% in Europe as a result, with a 4.1% fall for beer.
It said this came despite growth for Amstel, Heineken, Murphy’s stout and Cruzcampo in the UK.
In the UK net revenues grew by “low single-digit” levels, as it benefited from changes in the price-mix bought by customers, indicating that drinkers moved towards its more “premium” beer brands.
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