Q COSTARICA — Dutch brewer Heineken announced today that it is facing financial difficulties, and it will cut up to 6,000 jobs to cope with what it called “challenging market conditions.”
The company said it would “accelerate productivity at scale to unlock significant savings, reducing 5,000 to 6,000 positions over the next two years.”
“We remain cautious in our short-term outlook for beer market conditions,” CEO Dolf van den Brink said in a statement.
Van den Brink surprised the company in January by announcing his resignation as chief executive after nearly six years in the role.
He noted at the time that he had led the company “through economically and politically turbulent times.”
“My priority for the coming months is to leave Heineken in the strongest possible position,” he said.
The company employs approximately 87,000 people worldwide.
Executives avoided specifying where most of the job cuts would be concentrated, although Chief Financial Officer Harold van den Broek hinted that they would primarily affect Europe.
Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer after Belgium’s AB InBev, saw a 2.4% drop in its global beer volumes in 2025.
Revenue reached €34.4 billion in 2025, compared to €36 billion the previous year.
The company also reported a 4.9% increase in net profit before exceptional items and amortization of acquisition-related assets, reaching €2.7 billion.
Operating profit excluding exceptional items and amortization amounted to €4.4 billion, representing a 4.4% year-on-year increase.
How does this affect Costa Rica?
In September 2025, the company announced the acquisition of the multi-category beverage portfolio and convenience store business of Florida Ice and Farm Company S.A. (FIFCO) in Costa Rica.
The US$3.25 billion dollar transaction closed in January of this year after receiving approval from the Costa Rican Commission for the Promotion of Competition (Coprocom) and the Nicaraguan Competition Authority (Procompetencia), as well as fulfilling other applicable requirements.
The transaction included the transfer of all shares that FIFCO held in Distribuidora La Florida S.A. and other subsidiaries and affiliates, in accordance with the agreed terms and applicable law.