The Netherlands: Heineken beer to return to Jumbo supermarkets

Heineken beer will be sold again in Jumbo supermarkets. Both parties reached an agreement about the procurement after challenging price negotiations, a spokesperson for Jumbo confirmed after a report from the industry publication Distrifood. The deadlock between the beer brewer and the supermarket chain even led to a preliminary injunction.

Heineken also sells beers from the brands Amstel, Desperados, and Birra Moretti, as well as the beer with the same name. “Customers will be able to choose from the entire Heineken assortment at Jumbo within a few weeks,” the Jumbo spokesperson said.

Jumbo had previously decided to stop selling Heineken beers after the price negotiations had reached a standstill, with the Heineken shelves remaining empty as a result.

Heineken initiated a preliminary injunction against Jumbo, but the judge ruled in May that the supermarket chain could not be obligated to put the beers back on the shelves. The court noted that although Jumbo’s termination of a six-decade-long supply relationship was abrupt, it had the right to do so after formally ending that ongoing agreement.

This was not Jumbo’s first pricing showdown; the retailer has engaged in similar high-profile conflicts with brands like Coca‑Cola, Red Bull, and Douwe Egberts when negotiations broke down.