Heineken will stop beer exports and investment projects in Russia

The Dutch brewing company Heineken suspends the export of beer to Russia and investment projects in the country, TASS reports citing the concern’s press service.

All Russian factories, operational and commercial divisions of the company continue to work as usual, which is facilitated by a high level of localization of production, purchases of raw materials and materials, the report says.

Heineken has been operating on the Russian market since February 2002, when the first plant in St. Petersburg was acquired. Now the company owns seven breweries in Russia, in addition to St. Petersburg, they are located in Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk and Sterlitamak. About 1,900 people work in the Russian division of the company. The company’s portfolio includes more than 30 brands, including Heineken, Amstel, Krušovice, Affligem, Gösser, Three Bears, Okhota, Zhigulevskoye, Okskoye, Stepan Razin, etc.

Many Western companies, including retailers, IT giants and automakers, have begun to reduce their presence in Russia or temporarily suspend their activities against the background of the ongoing military operation in Ukraine since February 24.

On March 4, the Danish brewing concern Carlsberg decided to stop new investments in Russia and suspend the supply of products to its Russian subsidiary, the Baltika brewing company. On March 2, Czech beer producers Plzensky Prazdroj (brands Velkopopovický Kozel, Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus), Budejovicky Budvar (Budweiser Budvar), Staropramen and Bernard announced the termination of production and supplies to Russia.