The large brewers will continue to support the catering businesses to which they supply and sometimes also own the premises during the second catering closure. They are now looking at customization instead of making the same arrangements for the many thousands of customers. That is what spokespersons for Heineken, Grolsch and AB InBev say to NU.nl on Friday.
The beer recall operation this time will be much smaller than in March. Also, not all the recalled beer is reimbursed and it is considered on a case-by-case basis whether financial arrangements need to be made.
Heineken supplies beer to about twenty thousand catering establishments in the Netherlands. In addition, the brewer is directly or indirectly the landlord of more than 800 businesses. “In the spring we were very lenient with the cancellation of two months rent,” says the Heineken spokesperson. “We don’t do that anymore. Every situation is different, that’s what we look at.”
AB InBev, with seven thousand affiliated catering establishments and about seven hundred buildings, joins this. “There are some things with a large terrace that have had a pretty good season thanks to the beautiful summer. But there are also things such as cafes without a terrace that have been struggling for a long time. Now everyone is having a rough time.”
Collected beer is processed into animal feed again
Financial support from the brewer can consist of payment arrangements for the beer and agreements about the rent. “That is mainly about postponement of payment.” AB InBev hardly supplied large tanks of beer anymore, due to the limitation of the number of guests. “It is now more about 20 or 50 liter kegs that run out earlier and have a longer shelf life.”
Grolsch, with about four thousand catering entrepreneurs, will start picking up the tank beer on Monday. Opened barrels can be collected if desired, but not reimbursed. “The catering industry now has substantially less beer in-house anyway,” says the brewer’s spokesman. The tank beer that is collected will be processed into animal feed, just as with the previous closure.
‘We are in this misery together’
Heineken says that it will collect and take care of the opened tank beer. But even this brewer does not do that with opened casks. “We have to make choices,” said the Heineken spokesperson. “So we will not reimburse opened barrels.”
Grolsch is lenient with the payments of the drinks bills, which means deferment of payment. But this brewer is not yet looking at arrangements for renting the few hundred catering properties he owns. “That is not yet the case,” said the spokesman.
“We are also in dire straits. The entire trade has come to a standstill, our people are at home again. We are in this misery together with the catering industry. It is just a lost year.”
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