The Dutch brewer Heineken could benefit from this year’s hot summer beer thirst. Beer sales climbed 4.4 percent from July to September to 62.6 million hectoliters.
In addition to the good weather in Europe, strong growth in Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam and South Africa boosted sales, CEO Jean-François van Boxmeer said Wednesday in a press release.
In France and the Netherlands, demand rose in the double-digit percentage range due to the high temperatures.
In total, the beer group sold 175.3 million hectoliters of beer in the first nine months. This is 8.7 percent more than in the same period last year. Net profit rose to €1.61 billion after €1.49 billion twelve months ago.
"The Heineken brand continued to outperform, driven by Brazil, South Africa, France and Russia. In August, we announced the signing of non-binding agreements with China Resources to join forces to win in China. Our expectations for the full year 2018 remain unchanged," said van Boxmeer.
The positive figures of the world’s second largest brewer contrast those of market leader AB InBev, which had to announce weaker than expected third-quarter profits and to cut the dividends of the listed company in half. (inside.beer, 25.10.2018)
