Heineken Switzerland is committing a double-digit million investment to its Lucerne operations, with plans for a new city brewery for the Eichhof brand and a modernization of the group’s Swiss headquarters. The brewery is scheduled to begin operating around 2030 and forms part of a broader redevelopment of the traditional industrial site on the border between Lucerne and Kriens. The approximately 38,000-square-meter property is to be gradually opened up for housing, workplaces and other urban uses.
Eichhof is part of the Heineken Group since 2008. In 2013, Heineken moved the bottle filling of Lucerne-brewed Eichhof beer to Chur, transporting the beer there for packaging. The planned new brewery will once again be able to brew and bottle the entire Eichhof range in Lucerne, while also serving as an innovation center for limited and seasonal beers, new recipes and the revival of older specialties.
At the same time, the project will deepen the division of production between Lucerne and Chur rather than reverse it. Larger-volume beers are expected to be produced partly in Chur in the future. Luzerner Zeitung reported that Eichhof Lager will also be brewed there, while Südostschweiz described the restructuring as a strengthening of Heineken’s Chur brewery. Lucerne, by contrast, is being positioned as the center for the Eichhof portfolio, specialties and product development.
The new brewery is therefore designed to combine regional identity with a more flexible industrial production network. The full Eichhof assortment is intended to be brewed and filled on site, but high-volume production can simultaneously be shifted between Heineken’s two Swiss breweries. This gives the group additional capacity flexibility while keeping a visible brewery in the city with which Eichhof has been associated since 1834.
The redevelopment goes well beyond brewing. Heineken Switzerland, the cities of Lucerne and Kriens and the regional development organization LuzernPlus have signed a joint declaration of intent covering the transformation of the site. Existing production and storage areas that become available are to be integrated into a more accessible urban quarter, while Heineken’s office space will also be modernized. The exact architectural design remains under development.
Marc Moser, Country Manager of Heineken Switzerland, said the company wants Eichhof to remain firmly rooted in Lucerne. Lucerne construction director Korintha Bärtsch likewise emphasized the importance of continuing the city’s brewing tradition, while Maurus Frey, his counterpart in Kriens, welcomed the brewery’s long-term presence at the historic site.
