Heineken is set to release its full-year and fourth-quarter results on Wednesday (15 February). Below, we take a look at the highs and lows for the company in the three months to the end of December.
- At the start of the quarter, Heineken announced that it had completed a scheme to buy back 29.17m of its own shares, which it agreed to hand to Fomento Económico Mexicano (FEMSA) in exchange for ownership of the FEMSA Cerveza beer business. In 2010, Heineken agreed to buy the business in return for relinquishing a 20% stake in its global beer operations.
- In mid-October, Heineken announced that it had appointed Marc Busain as MD of Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma, the group’s Mexican beer business that incorporates FEMSA Cerveza. Busain took up the post on 1 December, leaving his role as MD of Heineken France. He replaced Michiel Herkemij, who left Heineken to become CEO of Sara Lee’s coffee business. A few days later, Heineken said that Pascal Sabrié would replace Busain in France.
- In the US, the brewer appointed Olga Osminkina to the newly-created role of senior brand director of Heineken USA. She will be mainly responsible for Heineken’s namesake lager sales.
- Heineken extended its sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup to cover the next tournament in 2015, which will take place in England. It has sponsored the competition since 1995.
- In late October, JP Morgan analysts highlighted market share gains for Grupo Modelo in Mexico, at the expense of Heineken FEMSA Cerveza. Modelo has capitalised on leadership transition at Heineken-owned Cervecería Cuahtemoc Moctuzema, which includes FEMSA Cerveza, the analysts said. In the previous 12 months, Modelo added two percentage points to its market volume share, taking it to an all-time high of 61%.
- At the start of November, Heineken announced that Hans Wijers will be nominated as a board member in 2012 and should replace Kees van Lede as chairman of the group’s supervisory board at the 2013 AGM. At the same time, it announced that Jacco van der Linden would be its new marketing director in the UK after Sarah Warby left the unit in June.
- Later in the month, Heineken and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co said that they would jointly acquire a further 41.2% of the Pivara Skopje for EUR79.1m (US$107m). The agreement would see the two companies increase their joint share in Pivara Skopje to 96.5%, Heineken said. Pivara Skopje is the leading drinks company in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The deal completed in December.
- At the end of November, Heineken became the latest multinational brewer to announce an executive change in Eastern Europe, with Jan Derck van Karnebeek replacing Nico Nusmeier as president of its Central & Eastern Europe business. Van Karnebeek switched from his role as MD for Heineken in Romania on 1 January.
- Also at the end of the month, Heineken said it would seek efficiency savings in its marketing by using just one agency for media buying and planning globally. Either Publicis’ Starcom MediaVest or WPP’s MindShare would be chosen to continue working with Heineken’s portfolio of beer brands, it said.
- In early December, Heineken announced it would become one of the largest pub owners in the UK after agreeing to buy the Galaxy Pub Estate from Royal Bank of Scotland for GBP412m (US$646m). Galaxy’s 918 pubs are already managed by Heineken’s subsidiary, Scottish & Newcastle Pub Co (SNPC), which itself owns a further 462 pubs outright. The move reflects renewed optimism in the bedraggled UK on-trade, according to just-drinks’ deputy editor, Chris Mercer.
- Amid a growing crisis in the eurozone, Heineken was one of several drinks companies forced to consider a break-up of the single currency region. While the group told just-drinks that it was a “firm believer” in the euro, it increased efforts to pool cash resources in countries considered more financially stable.
- Also in December, Heineken announced a marketing deal with Facebook that will see the two companies collaborating on digital marketing campaigns. “Through this agreement, Facebook will provide Heineken with a global marketing platform that reaches millions of people,” said the brewer.
- In Africa, Heineken said that its subsidiary in Rwanda, Bralirwa, had appointed Jonathan Hall as its new MD. On 16 January, Hall left his post as MD of Heineken’s Windward and Leeward Brewery to take up the post. He replaced Sven-Erik Piederiet, who left to become CEO of Salentein Argentina.
- A few days later, Heineken announced that it had agreed to take almost complete ownership of Brasserie Nationale d’Haiti for an undisclosed fee. Heineken said that it would raise its stake in Brasserie Nationale d’Haiti from 22.5% to 95%.
- Towards the end of December, Heineken’s UK business was forced to defend its pension policy, amid news of an investigation by the UK Pension Ombudsman. The complaint against Heineken was made by a group of pensioners who worked for Scottish & Newcastle (S&N), which Heineken bought with Carlsberg in 2008. Heineken denies wrongdoing.
- At the end of the reporting period, Heineken announced Jeffrey Colbert as its new sales VP for the central region of the US. Colbert joined Heineken from MillerCoors’ Tenth & Blake craft and import beer business. The post had been empty since Scott Blazek was promoted to senior VP for sales in May.
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