Struggling brewer Heineken to cut up to 6,000 jobs

Under-pressure Dutch brewer Heineken said Wednesday that it would scrap up to 6,000 jobs as it faces what it called "challenging market conditions" with beer volumes down compared to last year.

The company said it would be "accelerating productivity at scale to unlock significant savings, reducing 5,000 to 6,000 roles over the next two years."

"We remain prudent in our near-term expectations for beer market conditions," chief executive Dolf van den Brink said in a statement.

Traders appeared to welcome news of the job cuts, with shares up around three percent at the opening on the Amsterdam stock exchange.

Van den Brink stunned the company last month by announcing that he would be stepping down after almost six years at the helm.

He told reporters he was leaving with "mixed emotions" after acknowledging that he had guided the company "through turbulent economic and political times."

"My priority for the coming months is to leave Heineken in the strongest possible position," he said.

Heineken employs around 87,000 people globally.

In October, the brewer had already announced it was cutting or reassigning 400 jobs as part of a reorganisation of its Amsterdam head office to take advantage of new technologies.

AFP