Jumbo cannot be forced to buy beer from Heineken again. The East Brabant court ruled this on Thursday. The supermarket chain and the beer brand have been at odds for several months over price negotiations.
Jumbo has been buying fewer Heineken products since the end of March. This concerns part of the Heineken range, which also includes other beer brands and specialty beers. Heineken then filed summary proceedings to force the sale again. But the judge did not agree. Jumbo does not have to sell the products.
The chain removed the beer from the shelves at the end of March because Heineken is asking for prices that are too high. But according to the beer brand, Jumbo is violating a long-term agreement between Heineken and Jumbo regarding the sale of the beer. The supermarket chain, on the other hand, states that the contract was terminated earlier, when Jumbo joined the European purchasing company Everest in 2023. According to the judge, the contract has indeed been terminated, meaning that Jumbo does not have to sell the beer if the chain does not want to.
In France, Everest is at odds with the French branch of Heineken. The purchasing company believes that the prices Heineken is asking are too high and has therefore decided to buy less of the brand. Jumbo wants to keep the prices for Heineken products on the shelves low and therefore goes along with Everest’s policy.