Amsterdam: Under-pressure Dutch brewer Heineken said Wednesday it would scrap up to 6,000 jobs as it faces what it described as "challenging market conditions."

The company said it would be "accelerating productivity at scale to unlock significant savings, reducing 5,000 to 6,000 roles over next two years."

"We remain prudent in our near-term expectations for beer market conditions," Chief Executive Dolf van den Brink said in a statement.

Van den Brink stunned the company last month by announcing that he would be stepping down after almost six years at the helm.

He told reporters he was leaving with "mixed emotions" after acknowledging in January that he had guided the company "through turbulent economic and political times."

The world's second-biggest brewer after AB InBev said overall beer volumes were down 2.4 percent last year.

The decline was especially severe in Europe and the Americas, which dropped 4.1 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively.

Looking ahead to 2026, Heineken forecast full-year operating profit of between two and six percent.

Heineken employs around 87,000 people globally.

AFP