Heineken must pay over 111 million for malpractice of Greek subsidiary

Brewer Heineken must pay compensation of more than one hundred million euros to the Greek beer producer Macedonian Thrace Brewery (MTB). This was decided by the court in Amsterdam. According to the court, Heineken is responsible for the malpractice of its Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery (AB). With this ruling, it seems a long-running lawsuit, in which Heineken has been involved since 2014, is coming to an end. The Greek competition authority had previously determined that AB abused its position on the Greek beer market between 1998 and 2014. In 2024, the court already ruled that Heineken is responsible for this abuse of power and now the brewer receives a fine of 111.2 million euros. Athenian Brewery sells the Greek brand Alfa, in addition to Heineken and Amstel. The Athenian subsidiary of Heineken had as a strategy to prevent beer from competitors from entering supermarkets and hospitality chains. This was done by insisting on exclusivity agreements. Profit lost The Dutch boss in Athens and his successor were also punished with a fine for these practices. Since that conviction, competitors, including the relatively small Greek MTB, have demanded a total of 478 million euros in damages. According to the Amsterdam court, the Greek MTB lost profit for many years. The extent of the damage amounts to 43.3 million euros according to the court and on top of that comes another 67.9 million in interest. MTB initially claimed 160 million euros. The Danish beer giant Carlsberg also claimed a multi-million amount due to lost income from its Greek subsidiary Olympic Brewery, known for Mythos beer. This lawsuit is still in its early stages. Heineken says in this lawsuit against MTB to appeal. According to the brewer, the awarded compensation, particularly with regard to interest, does not correspond to the actual market conditions.