Heineken maintains momentum with Q2 sales lift – results data

Sales in three months to end of June up 2.7% to EUR8.13bn (US$9.38bn), mirroring Q1
H1 sales also up 2.7% to EUR14.83bn (US$17.11bn)
‘Asia Pacific’ and ‘Africa & Middle East’ standouts; ‘Americas’ and ‘Europe’ soft

Heineken has continued its solid start to 2026, recording a 2.7% sales uplift in the second quarter of the year, with all five of the company’s global brands in growth.

The performance continued the momentum seen in the first three months of the year, but fell short of the 5.6% sales hike recorded by rival AB InBev in the same period. Volumes were up 1.9% in the quarter and 1.6% in the half, with Heineken highlighting the “superior” volume growth enjoyed by its priority segments: ‘premium brands’ up 5.8%, ‘beyond beer’ up 8%, and ‘LoNo’ rising 12%.

Global brands delivered volume growth of 5.3% in the first six months of the year, spearheaded by Heineken (+5.3%), but with the others (Amstel, Desperados, Birra Moretti and Tiger) all registering gains, including a return to positive territory for Tiger.

Heineken’s reporting regions enjoyed mixed fortunes. A 12.5% Q2 gain recorded by ‘Asia Pacific’ was built on the company’s record market share in Vietnam, category leadership in India and the eighth consecutive year of growth in China.

Meanwhile, ‘Africa & Middle East’ rose 6.6% in the quarter, thanks to strong performances from Heineken and Desperados in Nigeria, and robust gains in Ethiopia.

However, sales in ‘Americas’ were flat in the half, and down almost 1% in the second quarter, attributed by Heineken to “subdued consumer sentiment”, amid challenging market conditions in Brazil and the US – where H1 volumes registered a high-single-digit slump.

‘Europe’ was also flat in the first half, despite a 1.6% uptick in the second quarter, led by growth for Cruzcampo, Murphy’s, Foster’s and ciders in the UK, and a return to growth in France.

“We delivered volume growth and robust operating profit expansion, with all five global brands in growth and good momentum in our premium and beyond beer portfolios,” said Heineken CFO Harold van de Broek.

“This performance reflects the quality of our growth, the resilience of our advantaged footprint, and our ability to adapt and execute in a dynamic environment. We are confident in our strategy and progress, yet remain prudent given ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty.”

Heineken is currently without a CEO following the departure of Dolf van den Brink at the end of May. Rafa Oliveira, who joins from coffee and tea business JDE Peet’s with no previous experience in beverage alcohol, is due to take up the post on 1 October.

Click play, below, to view a company-sourced review, presented by van de Broek.

‘Heineken sees this as a necessity in the current world – if we don’t do it, then somebody else will’ – Heineken chief AI officer Surajeet Ghosh speaks to Global Drinks Intel

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