Brussels — Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer, increased beer sales in all regions in the first three months of 2019, though a reduction in marketing activities contributed to a dip in its largest market, Mexico. The company maintained its full-year 2019 outlook for an increase in operating profit before one-offs of a mid-single-digit percentage. The Dutch maker of Heineken, Tiger and Sol lagers said on Wednesday that consolidated beer volumes rose 4.3% year on year to 52.7-million hectolitres, exactly in line with the average forecast of analysts in a company poll. The rise in sales in the first quarter came despite Easter falling in late April, three weeks later than in 2018, delaying stock building ahead of the holiday weekend. That also weighed on sales in Mexico, though warm weather in Europe helped offset the effect in those markets. Premium beer sales in Mexico grew by a double-digit percentage, however. In its second-most important market, Vietnam, beer sales increa...
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