The Netherlands: Heineken taking legal action against Jumbo supermarket chain

Brewing giant Heineken is taking legal action against the Jumbo supermarket chain over its “boycott” of the company’s products, DutchNews.nl reported on May 9.

Jumbo is part of the Everest purchasing combine, which has been embroiled in difficult negotiations with Heineken about the cost of its beers, which are much cheaper for supermarkets in Germany and France.

The supermarket argues that it is not buying from Heineken because of the “bizarre” prices the brewer has been charging in the Netherlands since the start of this year.

Online supermarket Picnic is also part of the Everest combine, and its bill from Heineken is lower than Jumbo’s, lawyer Jeroen Bedaux told the court on Thursday.

Heineken argues that Picnic has no physical stores and therefore its costs are lower “in terms of promotion and the like”. The beer is cheaper in other countries because of local conditions, Heineken lawyer Thom Beukers said.

“Heineken has 50 breweries in Europe and there are differences in pay, raw material prices and rules everywhere,” Beukers is quoted as saying.

Jumbo, which has been working with Heineken for 60 years, told the court that it had not stopped buying Heineken beer altogether, but had only reduced its orders.

“This is a purely commercial disagreement,” Jumbo’s purchasing chief Wibo van Wijk told the court.

The court will rule on the dispute on 22 May.