There is no sector left that has not been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, the popular beer brand Heineken announced that the company has faced a huge drop in sales. The company has announced that it is planning to trim down 10% of its workforce.

Dolf van den Brink, the Chief Executive of Heineken said that in 2020 the company faced ‘unprecedented disruption.’ The disruption took place due to the severe impact of lockdown as bars/pubs were closed in lots of countries and some nations have had to impose a ban on alcohol on a temporary basis. This has triggered an exceptional fall in sales figures in the last financial year. As a result, Dolf announced that nearly 8000 workers will lose their jobs.

Heineken is Europe’s highest beer seller and owns brands like Sol and Tiger. Heineken is also the world’s second-largest brewing company, which indicates just how difficult things are globally at the moment.

The shutting down of bars and pubs and strict lockdown measures have resulted in far fewer drinks being purchased. Christmas and New Year, which are known to be the best time for sales was also impacted due to the effect of Covid-19. Heineken has waived off £44 million in rent and licensing from its star pubs and bars. At the same time, it needs government to support the sectors by relaxing VAT. A spokesperson from Heineken said that the NHS vaccination program has created a ray of hope for the industry and hopefully, everyone will be back in pubs and bars like normal as soon as it’s safe to do so.