Heineken announced plans to cut between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs worldwide and revised down its profit growth outlook for 2026, as the Dutch brewer confronts subdued consumer demand for beer. Management said the reductions form part of a broader productivity initiative intended to generate substantial cost savings and support future growth.
The company stated the headcount reductions will take place over the next two years. Heineken framed the move as a way to deliver higher growth with fewer resources under a new strategy that extends to 2030.
CEO Dolf van den Brink, who abruptly announced his resignation in January amid slow sales and frustration from some investors, described the actions as a "significant cost intervention" that will help fund the group's top priority - accelerating growth. He added that the measures will "unlock stronger people productivity and enable greater speed and efficiency," but said the brewer remained cautious about its outlook for the beer market going forward.
Alongside the workforce reductions, Heineken lowered the range for expected profit growth in 2026. The company now anticipates organic operating profit rising between 2% and 6% in 2026, down from the 4% to 8% growth range it had guided for 2025.
Heineken reported annual organic operating profit growth of 4.4% for 2025, beating forecasts that had expected about 4% growth. The brewer noted that a combination of factors has made it difficult for brewers to generate sales expansion, citing strained consumer finances, geopolitical turbulence and adverse weather as headwinds for the sector.
The brewer, which produces Tiger and Amstel beers as well as its eponymous lager, emphasised that the productivity drive is aimed at unlocking material savings while enabling the company to operate with a leaner workforce.
The company did not provide further detail in this announcement about the geographic distribution of the planned job cuts or additional specifics on how savings will be allocated beyond the stated priority of accelerating growth.
Context and next steps
Heineken has anchored the headcount reductions and revised guidance within its longer-term strategy through 2030. Management positions the cost actions as a funding mechanism for growth initiatives, even as it signals prudence on the outlook for beer demand.