Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

'Challenging' year hits beer sales at Heineken

(Sharecast News) - Dutch brewer Heineken struck a sober tone on Wednesday, after price rises during a "challenging" year hit volumes. The world's second-biggest brewer said revenues in the year to December end rose 4.9% to €36.4bn.

But beer volumes fell 4.7% on an organic basis, while net profits slid 14.1% to €2.3bn.

Stripping out exceptional items and amortisation, operating profits rose 1.7% to €4.4bn, ahead of most forecasts for no change.

But net profits on the same basis fell 4.3% to €2.6bn.

Dolf van den Brink, chief executive, said: "After a strong 2022, 2023 proved to be challenging. Strong pricing to offset very high input and energy cost inflation and volatile macroeconomic conditions in some key markets affected our volume momentum.

"Looking to 2024, we remain cautious about the global economic and geopolitical outlook.

"Our focus going forward will be on revenue growth, balanced between volume and value, by continuing to invest behind our brands, innovations, commercial capabilities and route-to-consumer to deliver long-term sustained value creation."

Heineken, which also makes brands including Tiger, Amstel and Sol, said it expected low-to-high single digit operating profit organic growth before one-off items in 2024.

Analysts were expecting 9.9% organic operating profit growth this year.

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

Gazprom swings to $6.9bn loss as Europe sales plunge
(Sharecast News) - Russia's natural gas heavyweight Gazprom swung to huge loss in 2023 after sales to Europe dropped due to Western sanctions on Moscow.
London cabbies launch £250m legal action against Uber
(Sharecast News) - Uber Technologies is facing legal action on behalf of more than 10,500 London black cab drivers, it was confirmed on Thursday.
Peloton announces CEO departure; to cut 15% of workforce
(Sharecast News) - Peloton announced the departure of its chief executive on Thursday, alongside plans to cut around 15% of its workforce amid a restructuring programme aimed at reducing annual expenses by more than $200m.
LifeSafe shares jump on new deal with Trinity
(Sharecast News) - Fire technology company LifeSafe announced a significant agreement with Trinity Fire & Security Systems on Thursday, involving the supply of LifeSafe's latest line of fire extinguishers filled with multi-purpose fluid, specifically designed to combat various types of fires including lithium-ion battery fires.

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.