A recent article discussing Heineken's performance in the European food delivery market highlights the brand's strong presence in the Netherlands [1]. With a market penetration hovering around 22% throughout various months in 2022 and 2023, Heineken remains the favourite beer choice for many Dutch consumers. In 2022, Heineken saw a 24% increase in operating profit and a 6.9% boost in global beer sales compared to the previous year, with their premium beers showing even stronger growth [2]. This remarkable progress shows Heineken's ongoing popularity and suggests that the brand will continue to dominate the beer market in the Netherlands for the foreseeable future.
Heineken's success can be viewed in the broader context of the Netherlands' thriving beer industry. The country has consistently been the top beer exporter in the European Union, maintaining this status for 21 years [3,4]. In 2020, the Dutch exported a substantial €1.9 billion worth of beer, with the United States, France, Britain, and Canada being the primary destinations. Rooted in the Middle Ages, the tradition of beer brewing in the Netherlands continues to thrive, evidenced by the 605 licensed breweries operating in the country in 2020, which together create a vibrant and diverse beer landscape.
Our data reveals a noteworthy drop in the number of digital storefronts (DSFs) selling beer between Q4 2022 and Q1 2023. In just a few months, the total count of beer-selling DSFs shrank by approximately 13%.
The decline in beer-selling outlets and reduced sales for some brands in Q1 2023 indicate challenges in the Dutch beer industry, stemming from shifting consumer preferences, economic factors, and rising beer prices. An increasing number of Dutch consumers are opting for alcohol-free and low-alcohol craft beers, impacting traditional beer brand sales [5]. The war in Ukraine has led to surging energy and raw material prices. Heineken, for example, raised their prices by an average of 10.7% [6,7]. These increased costs, combined with high food and energy prices, interest rate hikes, and stagnant wages, have caused households to prioritise essential goods over alcohol, contributing to the decline in beer-selling outlets in the Netherlands.
Besides Heineken, it is interesting to note that other well-established Dutch beer brands also have significant market shares according to our data. In March 2022, Amstel had a market penetration rate of 3.8%, Grolsch 2.4%, Bavaria 1.9%, Hertog Jan 1.8%, and Jupiler 1.3%. The data also shows that Heineken has the largest presence of outlets that sell its beer, followed by Amstel. Additionally, Heineken has the highest percentage of total digital storefronts among all beer brands in August 2022.
From March 2022 to February 2023, Hertog Jan and Grolsch saw the most significant growth in market share among Dutch beer brands. Hertog Jan had the largest increase of 18%, while Grolsch had a more modest increase of 1%. This positive trend suggests that these two brands have been resonating with Dutch consumers. On the other hand, Amstel, Bavaria, and Jupiler saw a decrease in their market penetration rates. It's still uncertain which brand will come out on top in the long run, but the positive trend of Hertog Jan and Grolsch in the market is definitely something to keep an eye on. It will be interesting to see how these brands continue to compete in the ever-changing beer industry.
King's Day is a national holiday that celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander, and it is a day of national unity and celebration. According to DutchReview [8], drinking beer is one of the biggest attractions of King's Day, and the Dutch love their booze.
On King's Day, people in the Netherlands take to the streets to celebrate with friends and family. It's a day when people can freely wander around the city with a beer in hand, enjoying the festive atmosphere. It's worth noting that outdoor drinking is not technically allowed in the Netherlands, so King's Day is a unique occasion where people can enjoy their drinks while basking in the sunshine.
As Dashmote, we are a leading big data and AI analytics company specializing in the food & beverage industry. We empower F&B enterprises by enabling leaders and analysts to track and analyze publicly available data, ultimately contributing to informed strategic decisions for your brand. Interested in learning more about deriving market insights across food delivery and F&B?
We've also conducted a similar analysis of the most listed beer brands on food delivery platforms in each US state, showcasing our global reach and expertise. You can read the article here: https://dashmote.com/articles/beer-delivery-mapping-the-winning-brews-across-the-us/
For further inquiries or to discuss how we can help your business, please contact sales@dashmote.com.
Food delivery is taking the food and beverage (F&B) industry to new heights, that includes brewers. Heineken is a Dutch beer brand founded in 1864 when 22-year-old Gerard Adriaan Heineken purchased a brewery in Amsterdam. Today, it is one of the world’s largest and most recognizable beer brands, with its products sold in over 170 countries. As the No. 1 brewer in Europe [1], it is ramping up their results and furtherly gaining popularity thanks to delivery platforms.
Food delivery can transform the beer industry in a number of ways. Primarily, it helps the brands to expand their consumer base. It provides greater convenience and availability for consumers, allowing them to enjoy their favourite brews without the need to visit a store. In addition, it increases sales by giving the opportunity to combine drinks with food items into a combo deal.
Heineken's revenue amounted to approximately 27 billion euros in 2021 [1]. As an iconic beer brand worldwide, it is leveraging the food delivery platforms to compete in the formidable US$610 billion beer market [2]. In this article, we conduct a Heineken European case study. By leveraging Dashmote’s Data Analytics SaaS platform, we analysed the presence and growth of the brand on food delivery platforms around Europe.
Heineken is available on a variety of food delivery platforms globally, such as Just Eat Takeaway, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo. The selection of Heineken beers offered varies depending on the restaurants and stores but generally includes Heineken Lager, Heineken 0.0 Non-Alcoholic, and Heineken Silver.
According to Dashmote’s data, surprisingly, Heineken, as a Dutch beer, does not have the highest penetration rate on Dutch delivery platforms. Remarkably, it is the most prevalent in Greece - up to 34.4% of all the digital storefronts (DSFs) in Greece sell Heineken beer. The Netherlands takes second place, with a Heineken penetration rate of 21.8%. This indicates that 1 in 5 of all DSFs on Dutch food delivery sells Heineken beer. This is followed closely by Italy (19.6%) and Switzerland (18.2%). As shown in the graph, 9 countries in Europe have a Heineken penetration rate above 10%, with a particularly strong presence in the south of Europe.
Besides its unique flavour profile and commitment to brewing quality beers, the brand is also known for its sponsorship of sporting events, including the UEFA Champions League and the Formula 1 Grand Prix. These marketing efforts further help the brand to raise awareness and boost its popularity even more in Europe. It is reasonable to believe that Heineken will keep conquering European food delivery. Compared to Coca-Cola, which has an average penetration rate of 50%, Heineken still has plenty of room and opportunities to grow in the European food delivery industry.
According to Dashmote’s data, most of the countries saw positive Q4 growth in DSFs listings of the brand. Belgium experienced the largest increase of 36.1%, yet its DSFs base for Heineken remained relatively small at 181 by the end of 2022. This is followed by the UK with a 23.1% growth and Germany with a 15.3% growth. Interestingly, Greece, with the highest penetration rate of 34.4%, was the only European country that saw a negative decrease in DSFs listings of 8.4% in Q4, 2022.
Dolf van den Brink, Heineken’s Chief Executive, said in a statement in October 2022 that they have seen signs of a slowdown in demand for its beer in some European markets after its third-quarter sales rose by less than expected [3]. This could be caused by the limited consumer purchasing power and beer consumption due to inflation. However, according to Dashmote’s data, we do see a fairly higher growth in some of its major markets, such as the UK and Germany. On a positive note, in the brand's 2023 forecast in August, they expected its operating profit would rise by a mid to high single-digit percentage [4].
In January 2021, Heineken 0.0 launched a global campaign, "Cheers with no alcohol. Now you can", to tap into "Dry January" and the growing market for non-alcoholic drinks at social events. The non-alcoholic beer market amounts to US$36.75 billion in 2023 and is growing annually by 12.61% (CAGR 2023-2025) [5]. Heineken is a key player in this emerging market and shows strong ambition in growing non-alcoholic beers. In fact, 7% of total volume is low or non-alcohol, which is higher than the world’s largest brewer AB InBev (6%).
According to Dashmote’s latest data, the UK has the highest Heineken 0.0 penetration rate of 3.62%. Since the penetration rate of Heineken is 6.9% in total, it indicates that more than half of the DSFs on British food delivery platforms also sell the non-alcoholic version of the beer. This is followed by the Netherlands with a Heineken 0.0 penetration rate of 2.81%, taking up to 1/10 of all the DSFs selling the brand's products. Greece (2.7%), Romania (1.3%), Spain (1.2%), and Ireland (1.1%) all had a Heineken 0.0 penetration rate above 1%.
Dashmote is the leading big data and AI analytics company in the food & beverage industry. We help F&B enterprises by empowering leaders and analysts to track and analyse publicly available data to contribute to making strategic decisions for your brand. Do you want to know more about retrieving market insights across food delivery and F&B?
→ Please contact sales@dashmote.com.