The world's biggest brewer, AB InBev, has announced it will cut around 10% of its workforce in western Europe "to reflect falling demand for beer". That should really read "falling demand for over-promoted fizzy industrial lager". The number of jobs lost will be 800 from a total European workforce of 8,000. Of the 800, 263 jobs will go in Belgium alone. Workers at the Jupiller lager factory were so enraged by the announcement of job cuts that they took two managers hostage for several hours on 8 January.
There are likely to be job cuts in Britain and Germany as well. A spokeswoman for AB InBev said consumer demand for beer had fallen consistently in recent years. She added: "Western European consumers are drinking differently and AB InBev needs the right commercial focus". She said Belgians were drinking a "more diverse range of premium beer in lower quantities."
In which case, why doesn't the producer of Budweiser and Stellar Artois get the message, fill its mash tuns and coppers with good ingredients and produce beers with aroma and flavour? Could work a treat. The group's sales in Belgium fell by 2% in the first nine months of 2009.