02/11/2026, 09:0202/11/2026, 09:02
Dutch beer company Heineken announced on Wednesday that it plans to cut between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs to cope with “difficult market conditions”. The dismantling is scheduled to take place over the next two years.
Heineken wants to cut up to 6,000 jobs.Image: keystone
In a statement, the company said it wanted to “increase productivity on a large scale,” which would entail job cuts. To put it into perspective, the group, headquartered in Amsterdam, employs around 87,000 people worldwide. In Switzerland, Heineken has two breweries in Lucerne (Eichhof) and Chur (Calanda).
“We are cautious about the short-term forecasts for the beer markets,” said Heineken boss Dolf van den Brink. He caused a stir in January when he announced that he would step down after almost six years at the helm of the company.
The second largest beer company in the world after AB InBev recorded a decline in beer sales of 2.4 percent in 2025. Sales fell particularly in Europe and America. For 2026, Heineken only expects an increase in operating profits of between 2 and 6 percent; the company had previously expected 4 to 8 percent. (hkl/sda/awp/afp)