With the recent take-over of Namibia Breweries Limited by Heineken, not only has Namibia’s leading brewer gotten a shakeup of its board, it has also gotten a new Chief Executive Officer, and some restructuring process of the company’s workforce is underway.

But Heineken says that no job losses will be seen at Namibia Breweries.

Responding to Omutumwa’s questions from Heineken’s UK’s office Ms Sophie Goodall underlined the words of Mr Peter Simons, Managing Director of Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL), who said:  “We are proud to have completed this [take-over of NBL by Heineken] which is a vote of confidence in the long-term prospects of Namibia and its people.

“Heineken followed all competition and regulatory processes in Namibia and put forward an ambitious package of commitments which will ensure NBL remains a proudly Namibian business. The company will still be called NBL, will continue to be headquartered in Windhoek, and will remain listed on the Namibian Stock Exchange.

“By combining the strengths of NBL, Distell and Heineken this deal will encourage investment, develop local talent, create jobs, and ensure NBL remains a trusted partner for economic growth in Namibia long-term.

“We are excited to bring the best of global expertise combined with local insights to better serve consumers in Namibia and create shared value across the country.”

Ms Goodall states further that “With regards your question around jobs – as per our quote above this deal is all about growth; and I’d draw your attention to commitments made to the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) (e.g. no merger-related retrenchments of employees below management level etc.) who I’m sure may be able to confirm further details for you.”

NBL was founded in 1920 when Mr Carl List and Mr Hermann Ohlthaver acquired four small breweries in Windhoek. The breweries were merged together under the name South West Breweries Limited (SWB). SWB changed its name to Namibia Breweries Limited when Namibia gained independence on March 21, 1990.

In the photo: Namibia Breweries is the maker of Namibia’s two most famous products, Windhoek Lager and Tafel Lager.