Delivering
our EverGreen
strategy
3
Chief Executive’s Q&A
i
The beverage industry is evolving -
how is HEINEKEN shaping the future
of beer and beyond?
and our people and encouraged by our
progress on our EverGreen strategy.”
What are the key highlights of
EverGreen and your 2023 business
performance?
What are your top reflections
over 2023?
ft. t
JU
Introduction
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Our Dream is to shape the future of beer and beyond
to win the hearts of consumers. With a long history as
successful brand builders to pave the way, in 2023 we
continued to invest in expanding growth opportunities
beyond beer, experimenting with innovative product
concepts and new brand propositions.
We remain committed to win with our expanding
portfolio of refreshing beyond beer brands. For
instance, Tiger Soju, the smooth Tiger lager recipe
infused with a touch of soju in a range of natural
flavours, was launched in Vietnam and Singapore this
year. Also this year, we further grew Zagg in Nigeria, a
malt-based energy drink that provides a powerful
functional offering: the benefits of malt on top of
other energy boosting properties, differentiating us
from traditional energy players. Red Stripe celebrated
the launch of its new Rum Punch and Rum Mojito
canned cocktails during the culmination of Caribbean-
American Heritage Month. And for beyond beer in the
no-alcohol space, Clash’d is our new soft drink from
Brazil, crafted through an artisanal quality process
which elevates the flavour.
Sustainability
Review
Other
Information
Financial
Statements
Report
of the
Supervisory
Board
Report
of the
Executive
Board
Dolf van den Brink
Chief Executive Officer
In this way we are future-proofing HEINEKEN as a
learning, adapting and more agile company to deliver
superior, balanced growth in a fast-changing world.
We continue to make progress on our EverGreen
priorities, while adapting to the macroeconomic and
geopolitical volatility. We built on momentum across
our five key strategic pillars: emphasising consumer
and customer-centricity as we shape the future of
beer and beyond; growing productivity and a cost
conscious culture; boosting decarbonisation of our
production network globally; boosting digitisation of
all our processes to become the best-connected
brewer; and investing in our talent and capabilities to
ensure a workforce that is highly motivated and
capable, fostering the right culture and maintaining
robust organisational health.
This year we continued investing in our brands and
capabilities. We gained or held volume market share
in over half of our markets as volume performance
moderately improved quarter by quarter. We
exceeded our productivity commitments, delivering
€0.8 billion of gross savings in 2023 and achieved
operating profit growth in three out of four regions.
We made excellent progress with our digital business-
to-business platforms and now capture close to
€11 billion of gross merchandise value. We increased
our investments in our brands, capabilities, digital
programs, and sustainability initiatives. We also
further evolved our portfolio footprint with the
acquisition of Distell and Namibia Breweries to
form Heineken Beverages, a new beverages champion
for Southern Africa, and exit from Russia in the
third quarter.
After a strong 2022, 2023 proved to be challenging.
I am proud of the resilience of our business and our
people and encouraged by our progress on our
EverGreen strategy. In 2023 we welcomed three
new Executive Team members. Joanna Price joins us
as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Bram Westenbrink
as Chief Commerce Officer and Glenn Caton as
President of the Europe region. Their fresh
perspectives and immense combined knowledge
and experience have already brought new insights
and energy to the company.
Also this year, the Heineken® brand celebrated its
150-year anniversary and delivered another year of
volume growth, driven by continued momentum of
Heineken® 0.0 and Heineken® Silver.
We aim to stay relevant to younger legal drinking age
consumers with brands that embody authenticity,
diversity and a strong desire for connection, such as
Birra Moretti across Europe and Tiger in Asia Pacific.
With our premium brands led by Heineken® targeting
Gen Y consumers in many markets, our strategy
remains focused on the fundamentals of delighting
consumers to build brand power. We are increasingly
building direct connections through premium digital,
social and event engagements. In 2023 we continued
to expand Heineken® Silver to more markets,
specifically the US and Mexico. The support in the US
culminated with the sponsorship of the F1™ first race
in Las Vegas. Heineken® 0.0 grew in the double-digits
in 16 markets, further consolidating its position as the
#1 non-alcoholic beer brand globally.
Heineken
N.V.
Annual
Report
2023
