Dutch brewer Heineken said it was aiming to leave Russia
"in 2023"
, after being accused by a Dutch investigative site of having maintained its activities there, despite the announcement in 2022 of its withdrawal after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The platform FollowTheMoney claimed on Tuesday that Heineken, the world's second largest brewer, based in Amsterdam, is
"breaking its promise"
by continuing to invest in Russia.
It is based on activity reports from the Russian branch of the group.
"We are working hard to ensure the transfer of our company in Russia to a reliable buyer under very difficult circumstances," Heineken said in a statement Tuesday. The group aims to finalize the sale of its Russian activity “in the first half of 2023”
, he said.
Heineken had announced in March 2022 its withdrawal from Russia, shortly after announcing the end of the sale and production of its Heineken brand of beer in this country as well as the suspension of new investments and exports.
Read alsoHeineken: annual net profit down 19%, objectives maintained
According to
FollowTheMoney
, Heineken did stop production of its eponymous beer in Russia, but launched
"no less than 61 new products on the Russian market last year
."
“Heineken thus breaks with a previous commitment not to make new investments in Russia”
, adds the platform.
The brewer responded in its statement that it was
“false and misleading”
to claim that it had broken its promises.
“The company in Russia is completely isolated and self-finances all operational expenses
,” he explained.
The group says it receives
'no dividends, corporate fees or royalties from Russia'
, and expects an impairment of approximately 300 million euros following the sale.
“Local colleagues”
do
, according to the group,
“what they can”
to
“prevent nationalization and to ensure that their livelihoods are not endangered”
.