Heineken has decided to stop selling stout brand Island’s Edge in Ireland.
The brewer launched the stout in Ireland, initially in the on-premise, two years ago.
Heineken, which owns Beamish and Murphy’s stouts, said it had “learned a great deal from the Island’s Edge experience”.
When the Dutch giant launched Island’s Edge in 2021, it said the brand “[offered] a modern take on stout with a refreshing taste and a progressive attitude”.
In a statement yesterday (2 November), Heineken said: “We have made a decision to no longer supply Island’s Edge to pubs and product availability to retailers will transition out over the coming months.”
The company declined to comment on the reasons for pulling the brand from the market.
Last week, Heineken reported its third-quarter financial results. Revenue rose 2%, contributing to a 4.7% increase in the first nine months of the year.
On an organic basis, revenue was up 4.5% and by 5.8% in the opening nine months of 2023.
However, third-quarter beer volumes fell 4.2% organically. For the nine months to the end of September, volumes dropped 5.1% on an organic basis.
In a commentary on Heineken’s performance, chairman and CEO Dolf van den Brink said: “In Europe, following the impact of adverse weather in July and August, trends improved in September and we gained share in the majority of our markets in the on-trade, with more to do to recover in the off-trade.”
This week, Heineken reported the departure of the president of its business in Europe. Søren Hagh is to join distiller William Grant & Sons as its CEO.
Mondelez International executive Glenn Caton will take on the role from January.