- HEINEKEN unveils EverGreen 2030, its five-year strategy to accelerate growth
- Creating global capability centres anchored in new technologies
With HEINEKEN seeing significant headroom for growth in the beer category, it unveiled its EverGreen 2030 strategy, despite the beer category’s current sluggish recovery from COVID and inflationary-impacts. EverGreen is HEINEKEN’s sharpened five-year strategy to accelerate growth in a rapidly changing world.
It said that changing consumer trends pose both challenges and new opportunities. Beer leads the beverage market, capturing 42% of consumer spending on alcohol, and capturing twice the amount consumers spend on carbonated soft drinks. The beer category offers meaningful room to grow through innovation and technology, tapping into emerging consumer trends and markets, and stretching brands into new occasions.
HEINEKEN said it is uniquely positioned to shape long-term growth through its advantaged global footprint with leading market positions in key fast growing emerging markets like India, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Mexico. HEINEKEN is also a global leader and pioneer in growing beer segments like premium beer and 0.0 beer. Sharper differentiation and focus across its geographical footprint, segments and brands provides further opportunity. By leveraging its global scale and accelerating digital deployment, HEINEKEN is stepping up productivity and creating a more agile, harmonised, and cost-effective Future Fit organisation. EverGreen 2030 is designed to deliver superior and balanced growth with attractive shareholder returns, while future-proofing the company.
“The future of beer is (Ever)Green! As the next step in our 160 years pioneering journey, we are fundamentally transforming our business to stay ahead in an increasingly volatile geopolitical and economic landscape. In the long run, beer has proven to be a resilient category, always recovering after every major historical downturn. EverGreen 2030 is further sharpening HEINEKEN’s growth strategy, allowing us to confidently navigate consumer shifts and capturing structural growth opportunities through its advantaged global footprint, leadership in growth segments and its power brands. By focusing on Accelerating Growth, Stepping up Productivity and Future-Proofing HEINEKEN we are committed to creating long-term value and delivering attractive returns for shareholders underpinned by disciplined execution and sustainable investment,” said Dolf van den Brink, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of HEINEKEN.
Focus on 17 Growth Markets
The release mentioned that over time the beer category is expected to structurally grow volume by 1% p.a., and HEINEKEN is uniquely positioned to seize this opportunity through its advantaged global footprint and strong presence in developed and emerging markets. In both types of markets, beer is gaining share of throat. In emerging markets, representing 80% of the global population, with only half the per capita beer consumption of developed markets, trends such as population growth led by Gen Z, urbanisation, and a growing middle class are fuelling demand.
HEINEKEN is concentrating its efforts on 17 Focus Growth Markets and it will continue to build its leadership position across 50 markets where it already holds number one, or strong number two, positions. Footprint optimisation through targeted acquisitions and divestments will further strengthen HEINEKEN’s position, most recently illustrated by the announced acquisition of FIFCO’s beverage and retail business in Central America.
At the same time, HEINEKEN is shaping the future of beer with leading brands and innovations across key segments: Premium, Mainstream, Low and No-alcohol (LoNo), and Beyond Beer. HEINEKEN pioneered for example, the next generation of 0.0 beer through superior taste, with premium positioning under the Heineken brand and by investing in social acceptability through advertising, availability, and F1 sponsorship.
Step up Productivity and Focus Future Fit
Productivity strengthens HEINEKEN’s foundation and funds its EverGreen growth ambitions. The €3+ bn in gross savings achieved in the past five years under EverGreen 2025, supported HEINEKEN to counter inflation and navigate turbulent times. Going forward the company is targeting an additional €400-500 million in annual gross savings, the release added.
To deliver on these ambitions, HEINEKEN is doubling the size of HEINEKEN Business Services (HBS), creating global capability centres anchored in new technologies. This approach is to enable local operating companies to focus on execution and winning with customers and consumers. Starting in 2026, HEINEKEN’s Amsterdam head office will transform into a more focused strategic centre, which includes a transition of roles to HBS and the redesign of selected departments.
Furthermore, HEINEKEN is accelerating its digital transformation and scaling the rollout of its Digital Backbone (DBB), a multi-year, €1+ bn investment transforming how HEINEKEN operates across more than 70 markets. Through its sharpened Brew a Better World ambitions, HEINEKEN will continue to invest in sustainability to deliver impact and long-term value.
A new Winning Aspiration
With the unveiling of EverGreen 2030, HEINEKEN also launched its new winning aspiration, HEINEKEN, The World’s Pioneering Beer Company. This aspiration combines the company’s legacy of over 160 years of global expansion, with its track record of innovative product development and brand building capability. Pioneering will be the key aspiration as the company enters the next phase to leverage much stronger its advantaged geographical footprint and portfolio of both global and local brands that deeply resonate with consumers.