~2020~
National Activation : #helpdehoreca
Together with KHN HEINEKEN launched #helpdehoreca. With this HoReCa enthousiats could support their favorit cafe, restaurant or Hotel by buying a coupon. With this, a whopping 3.7 miljoen euro was collected for the HoReCa entrepreneurs!
May 2020
Heineken, Amstel and Desperados sold at Lidl
HEINEKEN starts selling Heineken articles on the 21st of may through the Lidl:
– Heineken Pils blik 50 cl
– Desperados blik 50 cl
– Heineken pils 6 x 25 cl
– Heineken 0.0 6 x 25 cl
– Amstel Pils blik 4 x 33 cl
– Heineken 0.0 blik 4 x 33 cl
– Amstel Radler 0.0 blik 4 x 33 cl
June 2020 : HEINEKEN has a new CEO : Dolf van den Brink
Dolf van den Brink is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Board at Heineken N.V. since 1 June 2020. He succeeded Jean-François van Boxmeer. Prior to this, Dolf van den Brink was President of the Asia Pacific region and member of the Executive Team at Heineken N.V.
Oktober 2020 HEINEKEN releases a new fantastic book: “It could only be Heineken”
What was the brilliant invention which allowed founder Gerard Adriaan to establish the name Heineken? Ever heard of a wooden horse, or a yeast-pitching egg? Why brewery employees delivered ice rods? Did you know that there is an old Dutch master in the Heineken collection? And where the initials H.P. stand for?
With its treasure trove of stories, this richly illustrated book graces the coffee or, more aptly, the beer table! Remarkable facts, colourful anecdotes, and poignant portraits sketch the personalities of 100 Heineken Stars: objects, posters, photographs, films, and works of art from the heritage collection assembled by the brewery on the initiative of Alfred (Freddy) Heineken from the 1970s onwards. That collection now encompasses over 120,000 tangible memories of the company’s history.
This book is the result of an exciting quest for the historical narratives that each object encompasses. They usher us through time and place, zooming out from Amsterdam to the Netherlands, Europe, and eventually the whole world.
November
Heineken NV acquired local specialty craft-beer producer Texelse Bierbrouwerij BV for an undisclosed sum.
Under the partnership, Texelse Bierbrouwerij will tap Heineken’s larger brewing capacity and established distribution channels to increase its sales in the Dutch market.
The brewery, located on the Dutch island of Texel, produces 13 varieties of specialty beers, including its Texelse Skuumkoppe flagship brand.
~2021~
April 2021 HEINEKEN launches 2030 Brew a Better World ambitions
HEINEKEN today announces its 2030 Brew a Better World programme, a new set of ambitious commitments aimed at driving a positive impact on the environment, social sustainability and the responsible consumption of alcohol.
As an important part of the company’s EverGreen balanced growth strategy, the 2030 ambitions build on progress made since the Brew a Better World programme was originally launched in 2009.
Juli 2021 India’s United Breweries becomes part of the HEINEKEN group
Amsterdam, 30 July 2021 – Heineken N.V. (HEINEKEN) announces that, following United Breweries Limited’s (UBL) annual general meeting on 29 July 2021, it has obtained control of UBL in India. This follows HEINEKEN’s recent acquisition of additional ordinary shares in UBL on 23 June 2021, taking its shareholding in UBL from 46.5% to 61.5%.
Dolf van den Brink, Chairman of the Executive Board / CEO, commented: “UBL has a proud history dating back more than a century as an influential shaper of the beer industry in India. It built its position as the undisputed market leader in India with a strong network of breweries across the country and a fantastic portfolio led by its iconic Kingfisher brand family, complemented more recently by a strong HEINEKEN international brand portfolio. We are honoured to build on this legacy and look forward to working with our colleagues at UBL to continue to win in the market, delight consumers and customers and unlock future growth.”
India offers an exciting long-term growth opportunity as per capita beer consumption is low at 2 litres per annum. Its growing population of nearly 1.4 billion people includes a strong emerging middle class, enabling further premiumisation. UBL will be a top HEINEKEN operating company and Kingfisher a top 5 global brand.
November
HEINEKEN N.V. announced that it has entered into an implementation agreement with Distell Group Holdings Limited , Namibia Breweries Limited and Ohlthaver & List Group of Companies to integrate their respective and relevant businesses in Southern Africa into one enlarged company.
~2022~
Januari
100% green electricity for HEINEKEN Netherlands
As of January 2022, HEINEKEN Netherlands Supply, Vrumona, HEINEKEN International, including the Heineken Experience centre, HEINEKEN Export and Proseco will switch to 100% green purchased electricity. This landmarks a remarkable achievement in our path to net zero impact, reaching carbon neutrality in our own production by 2030.
The end of 2020 saw the signing of 2 Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Windpark de Rietvelden (Pure Energie) and Windpark Fryslân (Eneco). The purpose was to provide 100% green purchased electricity generated by Dutch wind farms. Together these PPA’s will provide 95.000 MWh of green electricity per year to HEINEKEN. When this is combined with all of the existing green electricity, HEINEKEN in the Netherlands will use a total of 124.900 MWh of green electricity per year, this is the equivalent of 41.300 households. We are extremely proud of the uniqueness of this achievement, in Europe there are 30 to 40 PPA’s per year, and we have secured 2 PPA’s in one go.
This milestone also marks an important step for our Dutch breweries. The breweries were already partially powered by green electricity (from both wind turbines and solar panels). As of January 2022, the breweries in Den Bosch en Wijlre will now reach 100% green electricity. Our Zoeterwoude brewery, the largest in Europe, will reach this milestone in 2024 when the last on-site fossil electricity generation (the Heat Power Generator) will be switched off.
March
Following the previously announced strategic review of our operations, we have concluded that HEINEKEN’s ownership of the business in Russia is no longer sustainable nor viable in the current environment. As a result, we have decided to leave Russia.
We aim for an orderly transfer of our business to a new owner in full compliance with international and local laws. To ensure the ongoing safety and wellbeing of our employees and to minimise the risk of nationalisation, we concluded that it is essential that we continue with the recently reduced operations during this transition period.
In all circumstances we guarantee the salaries of our 1,800 employees will be paid to the end of 2022 and will do our utmost to safeguard their future employment.
We will not profit from any transfer of ownership and we expect an impairment and other non-cash exceptional charges of approximately €0.4 billion in total.
Upon completion of the transfer HEINEKEN will no longer have a presence in Russia.
July
Proud sponsor of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022
We are delighted to expand our fantastic 25-year relationship with UEFA through to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 and 2025. This expansion demonstrates Heineken®’s continued commitment to being an advocate and supporter of the whole of European football, women’s and men’s, and the amazing fans, players and coaches who make these tournaments so special. Taking place from 6th to 31st July in England, the 2022 tournamount will run across 9 stadiums and have 15 other nations joining us cheering on our favourite team. All leading to an exciting final which will take place at Wembley Stadium on the 31st July 2022.
For more information, visit https://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/
September
Heineken has decided to stop the production of lager beer at its Brand Brewery (Brand Bierbrouwerij) in Wijlre/Limburg/Netherlands. The brewery is Netherlands’ oldest brewery and was founded in 1340.
As a result of the closure of the lager production, 48 people will lose their jobs or have to be relocated to other Heineken breweries in Den Bosch or in Alken, Belgium.
However, the brewery will not be totally closed but will focus on brewing specialty beers.
Heineken said that sales of both, lager beer and specialty beers, were growing but there was no room for expansion at the current site. “We are trapped between the village and the Geul [river],” a spokesperson of the brewery told local media. “That is why we have decided to move the production of the lager beer”.
Since 1989 Brand Bierbrouwerij is part of Heineken. Until 2000, Thijs Brand was the last of the Brand family to manage the brewery. He believes that the relocation of a large part of the production has nothing to do with a lack of capacity at the current location and a lack of expansion options. “Relocation of pilsner beer from Wijlre is a pure money issue,”
~2023~
April
HEINEKEN successfully completes acquisition of Distell and Namibia Breweries to create HEINEKEN Beverages.
The combined businesses will be known as ‘HEINEKEN Beverages’ – the rebranding reflects the new company’s multi-category portfolio and commitment to deliver high-quality beverages to consumers across the continent.
HEINEKEN’s CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board Dolf van den Brink said: “We are delighted to welcome over 5,400 talented employees of Distell and Namibia Breweries into HEINEKEN and look forward to adding more than €1 billion in net revenue and €150 million operating profit to our African footprint. By combining the strengths of all three entities, we can leverage our expertise and resources to foster growth, create jobs, and contribute to the overall economic development of the region.”
June
Heineken takes over Oedipus craft brewery
Amsterdam-based beer brewer Oedipus is set to come under the full ownership of Heineken, Het Parool and Nu.nl reported on Wednesday. Heineken, which previously held a minority stake in the company, acquired the remaining shares of the company earlier this month, to take full ownership of the formerly independent beer business.
Oedipus opened its brewery with an attached bar in 2015. The brewery is renowned for its colorful labels on beers, including Mannenliefde, Thai Thai, and Gaia. They later opened a second cafe location on Javaplein in Amsterdam-Oost.
July
Heineken Sells Vrumona
At completion, Danish brewer Royal Unibrew will acquire 100% of Vrumona from Heineken for €300mln.
Vrumona is the second largest producer in the Dutch soft drink market and a leader in healthy soft drinks, with well-known brands such as Royal Club, Sisi, Sourcy and Vitamin Water, as well as licensed brands such as 7Up, Pepsi and Rivella. The company and production site are located near Utrecht and employ more than 300 people. The company currently produces about 3.1 million hectolitres per year across seven production lines. To expand the current business and support Royal Unibrew’s global production base, Vrumona intends to invest in additional production capacity. The soft drink producer has been owned by Heineken since 1968.
A few years ago, Heineken already considered selling Vrumona. As a soft drink maker, Vrumona has been a special part of the Heineken beer empire. Heineken is nowadays mostly focussing on premium beers, which are growing faster than lager beer and have higher margins. In addition, their focus is on low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beers. To grow in this area, Heineken has acquired Dutch breweries Oedipus and Texels in recent years. With these beer brands and corresponding beer categories, Heineken will further anchor and develop itself in the Dutch market.
Heineken launches ‘The Best Driver’ featuring Max Verstappen
Heineken, global partner of F1, today unveiled their latest global ‘When You Drive, Never Drink’ creative campaign, entitled ‘The Designated Driver’. The campaign features the current F1 world champion and Heineken 0.0 ambassador, Max Verstappen, who brings his star power to help promote responsible drinking to new and relevant audiences.
In the new campaign, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver is portrayed socialising with friends and repeatedly being chosen to take on the role of designated driver, due to him being ‘The Best Driver’. The hero film cleverly emphasises that while some of the best drivers are from the world of F1 the decision should instead only be based on who hasn’t had a drink… unless of course the drink is a Heineken 0.0.
Max Verstappen said: “As an F1 driver, making the right choices both on and off the track is vitally important for success. When driving, having that clarity and single-mindedness, particularly when it comes to safety, is crucial. On top of working on an upcoming, exciting new gaming initiative with Heineken called Player 0.0, I’m proud as a Heineken 0.0 ambassador to help advocate responsible drinking to motorsport fans all over the world. The campaign was great fun to shoot and I hope everyone not only enjoys the film, but also takes away the important message behind it.”
~2024~
July
Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine” and HEINEKEN!
Heineken Silver is a World-Class Light Beer that has All the Taste, With No Bitter Endings. That’s why your pals at Heineken Silver made this little box of joy for you to share with your Best Bub. It’s filled with collectible items inspired by Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine,” in theaters July 26. Enter for your chance to win now, and let this be your first step to ditching bitterness this summer. And hey, if we can make nice with Wolverine, you can make nice with your choice of light beer.