InBev – formed in 2004 when Interbrew of Belgium merged with AmBev of Brazil – has announced that it is to cut 10% of its 8,000 employees in western Europe.
The firm has explained that this is a response to falling sales of its beer brands, which include Stella Artois, Becks and Budweiser.
There have already been protests outside the plants and headquarters in Leuven Belgium, with redundancies rumoured across Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and the UK.
“Even though beer has traditionally proved one of the most resistant products in less prosperous economic times, our industry isn’t immune to the general economic climate,” said a company statement. “As a result, we need to be slimmer and more flexible.”
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