Heineken is planning a new city-centre brewery for its Eichhof brand in Lucerne as part of a wider redevelopment of its Swiss site. <\/p>\n
In a statement yesterday (26 August), Heineken Switzerland said it will invest a “double-digit million euro” sum in a new Eichhof brewery and the modernisation of its headquarters in Lucerne. <\/p>\n
It added that “commissioning” of the new site is expected to take place in from 2030. <\/p>\n
The brewery will produce and bottle the full Eichhof range, while also being used for making seasonal and limited products and “innovations”. <\/p>\n
Under the new production set-up, part of the higher-volume production will be moved to Heineken’s second Swiss brewery in Chur. <\/p>\n
Heineken’s Swiss business has also signed a joint declaration of intent with the cities of Lucerne and Kriens, plus municipal association LuzernPlus, to gradually redevelop the roughly 38,000-square-metre Eichhof site into a mixed residential and living district. <\/p>\n
Marc Moser, Heineken Switzerland country manager, said: “Eichhof belongs to Lucerne, and that’s how it should stay in the future. That’s why we’re investing in a new, fully-fledged brewery and our headquarters in Lucerne.” <\/p>\n
The Swiss investment comes as Heineken reshapes its manufacturing footprint more broadly. <\/p>\n
In February, the brewer said it would cut up to 6,000 jobs<\/a> over two years as part of a plan to create a “simpler” and “leaner” operating model and deliver annual savings of \u20ac400m-\u20ac500m. <\/p>\n Since then, the company has made changes to production in a number of markets. <\/p>\n In March, Heineken said it would phase down large-scale brewing<\/a> in Singapore by the end of 2027 in favour of imports from Malaysia and Vietnam. <\/p>\n The following month, it sold its Bralima business in DR Congo<\/a> as part of a push towards a more asset-light model in selected markets. <\/p>\n