The Heineken brewery group, which also owns Brau-Union based in Linz, made a profit of 1.27 billion euros in the first half of the year (2021: 1.03 billion euros). The operating result rose from 1.63 to 2.16 billion euros, sales from 11.97 to 16.40 billion euros.
However, the outlook is not unclouded: Consumer demand was robust in the first half of the year. However, the risk that the increasing pressure on purchasing power will affect beer consumption is increasing. Heineken also referred to the high natural gas prices.
In total, the Dutch beer brewer has more than 300 brands and employs more than 80,000 people worldwide. After Anheuser Busch InBev, Heineken is the second largest beer company in the world.
“The situation is tense”
Global beer volume rose by 7.6 percent. The German brewing industry is still having problems: In the first half of the year, it did not reach the level it was before the corona crisis. From January to June, beer sales grew by 3.8 percent compared to the same period last year to around 4.3 billion liters. However, 5.5 percent less beer was sold than in the first half of 2019.
“The German brewing industry continues to work in crisis mode,” said the general manager of the German Brewers’ Association, Holger Eichele: “The situation is very tense.”
After the sales crisis, many breweries are now fighting the energy crisis. It is currently impossible to replace gas as the main energy source.
Source: Nachrichten
