Heineken Sales Up 2.5%, Volume Up 2.8%

While we were off last week, Heineken N.V. reported total volume grew 2.8% and net revenue grew 2.5%. It gained or held share in around 60% of its markets, the company said.

Premium volume grew 5.8%. Heineken volume did better, growing 6.9%. Global brands volume increased 5.7%, with Amstel and Desperados growing by a high-single digit, the company said. Low- and no-alcohol grow by double-digits, and beyound-beer was up mid-single-digit.

The Outlook

Looking toward the future, the company noted the "macro-economic environment is increasingly complex and uncertain, with potential impacts from higher energy prices, and supply shortages in particular markets. This may disrupt global trade flow and trigger weaker consumer sentiment, which in turn may affect beer market growth.

"We are monitoring developments closely and actively navigate the year with different evolving scenarios. Our outlook is based on the assumption of a temporary rather than a prolonged disruption in global energy trade.

"We focus on what we can control, the disciplined execution of EverGreen 2030, with strong productivity, cost control, and agile capital allocation. Based on the current assessment of risks and identified actions to navigate these circumstances, Heineken confirms its 2026 guidance, including the expectation of 2% to 6% organic growth of operating profit."

In his final report to shareholders, Dolf van den Brink, chairman of the executive board, said:

"We delivered a solid first quarter with quality volume growth, driven by our global and premium brands, and key growth segments. Leveraging our advantaged footprint, the priority markets led the growth. We also welcomed our new colleagues from the FIFCO's beverage and retail businesses acquisition, which will further strengthen our growth profile. 

"Since the start of the year, global trade has become more complex and volatile, with impacts on energy availability and costs in certain markets. This leads to inflationary pressures, which might affect consumer sentiment in the medium-term. 

"As we navigate this environment, this quarter demonstrated an acceleration of EverGreen 2030. We are executing with discipline and focusing our resources to our priority markets and segments. Our productivity agenda is making solid progress and we are on track to deliver on our €500 million target for 2026. We further optimized our footprint by converting our business in the Democratic Republic of Congo to an asset-light licensing model."