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Heineken reviews its South African wine brands

Published

Heineken said it is assessing the relevance of wine in its South African portfolio, three years after it bought the Distell wine brands. Brands such as Nederburg and JC Le Roux are under review, and the company did not say whether it may sell them.

Chief Financial Officer Harold van den Broek spoke to analysts on a call on Wednesday, when the Dutch brewer reported third-quarter results. He said: "We are not making rash decisions on what to do, but we do have it under strategic review". He did not set out the options.

Heineken agreed to buy Distell Group in 2021 and completed the deal in 2023. The price was €2.2 billion, or R38 billion at the time. More than 5 400 employees from Distell and Namibia Breweries joined Heineken when the deal closed.

Heineken booked an impairment of €491 million on the South African business in 2023. Former chief executive Dolf van den Brink said Heineken dropped the ball on a couple of commercial elements. Heineken shares rose by as much as 2.2% on the trading update.

Key facts

Who
Rafael Oliveira (Chief Executive Officer of Heineken); Harold van den Broek (Chief Financial Officer of Heineken); Heineken (Dutch brewer; company reporting third-quarter results); Dolf van den Brink (former Heineken CEO)
What
Heineken said it is assessing the relevance of wine in its South African portfolio, three years after acquiring Distell's wine brands. CFO Harold van den Broek said the company is not making rash decisions, and did not specify the options or whether they include a sale.
When
28 October 2026
Where
South Africa
Status
Reported

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