An Amsterdam court set the damages owed to Macedonian Thrace Brewery for abuse of a dominant position in Greece; Heineken will appeal
The Amsterdam District Court has ordered Heineken and its Greek subsidiary, Athenian Brewery, to pay €111 million to Macedonian Thrace Brewery (MTB), a rival Greek brewer, Heineken itself announced on Wednesday, October 21, according to Reuters. The amount is made up of €43 million in damages and €68 million in accrued interest. Heineken says it disagrees with the court's reasoning and will appeal.
The dispute started in Greece. In 2015, the country's competition authority fined Athenian Brewery €31.5 million for abusing a dominant position in beer production and distribution, according to Reuters. The decision found that the company used that position for at least 16 years to restrict competitors; the practices examined run from 1998 to 2014. Athenian appealed in the Greek courts and lost at every stage, Just Drinks reported.
Based on that decision, MTB sued Heineken in Amsterdam in 2017. In October 2024, the court held Heineken jointly and severally liable for its subsidiary's practices, citing the control it exercises over the Greek company, according to FoodBev. The Dutch Supreme Court later rejected Heineken's appeal against that ruling. To arrive at the amount now set, the court used an economic model prepared for MTB by the consultancy Oxera.
MTB, founded in 1996 in Komotini, in northern Greece, and maker of Vergina beer, told Just Drinks that the ruling is the final decision in the case. Athenian Brewery makes and sells brands such as Alfa, Mamos, Amstel and Heineken in Greece, according to FoodBev.
Justice has been servedDemetri Chriss, MTB's director of business development, to Just Drinks
Heineken said it respects the court, but that the calculation rests on assumptions about the sales, prices and profitability MTB would have had in a hypothetical market, and that those assumptions should be tested against the available economic evidence. For the company, an appeal is the appropriate step to have these issues fully reviewed.
In Brazil, the Dutch group owns brands that are in Bebidário's catalog, such as Heineken, Heineken 0.0 and Amstel Lager. The Amsterdam ruling does not involve the Brazilian operation.
Sources: Reuters (October 21, 2026), Just Drinks (October 21, 2026), FoodBev (October 21, 2026).
