Heineken shares fall on lower European beer sales

Geoff Percival

Heineken shares fell by as much as 2% as the Dutch brewing giant counted the cost on its sales of severe weather conditions in Europe during the first quarter of the year.

In a trading update, Heineken said that in its first-quarter, sales volumes in Europe fell by 1.7%, year-on-year, as the benefits of an earlier Easter holiday were offset by the severe cold weather that gripped much of north-western Europe.