Heineken should look upon
the whole of Europe as its
home market
mm**
|f|p
home market and not just The Netherlands. Heineken beer was
already being drunk in the United States and in Asia and Africa,
but the familiar green label did not have a significant market in
Europe outside The Netherlands. A leading position in Europe
would also generate funds for expansion in the rest of the world.
On his travels through Europe, Alfred Heineken got the
impression that the various countries were indeed ready for
Heineken. It was this vision that launched Heineken on an
impressive advance through Europe. From 1972 onwards, the
importance of Heineken in the European beer market grew
steadily, and slowly but surely it became clear that Heineken had
created a genuine home market in Europe.
The company's present position is mainly attributable to Alfred
Heineken and the decisions he took over three decades. That is to
the credit of the man who occasionally felt the need to step back
and think carefully about a problem before arriving at a decision.
There's an awful lot of action these days, and precious little
thought. Always busy, busy, busy... terrible!'
