Molson Coors has reported falling sales and sharply lower profits for 2025, alongside plans for major cost savings, as global brewers grapple with weakening beer demand, rising costs and cautious consumers.
The Coors and Carling maker said net sales declined 4.2 per cent to the end of December, while underlying income before tax fell 14.7 per cent in constant currency to $1.39 billion. The company swung to a statutory net loss of $2.14bn, largely due to more than $3.9bn in non-cash impairment charges linked to goodwill and intangible assets.
Fourth quarter performance also weakened, with net sales down 2.7 per cent and underlying pre-tax income falling 13.8 per cent.
The results come amid mounting pressure across the global brewing sector. Heineken last week unveiled plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs over two years, while Carlsberg warned of another difficult year as consumer spending remains subdued and trade tensions threaten costs. Budweiser brewer AB InBev also posted its slowest profit growth since 2020. All three reported falling volumes, highlighting soft demand across key markets.
Cost cutting and inflation headwinds
Molson Coors has now launched a three-year cost savings programme targeting up to $450 million, aimed at offsetting inflation and freeing up funds to invest in its brands and operations.
Chief executive Rahul Goyal said the brewer had taken “necessary difficult decisions” to navigate a challenging year.
“Despite a number of macroeconomic issues impacting our industry and our category, we navigated a tough year to protect and deliver on our revised bottom-line expectations while narrowly missing our top-line guidance,” he said.
Chief financial officer Tracey Joubert added that rising input costs had weighed heavily on performance.
“We expect commodity inflation in particular to be a meaningful headwind in 2026,” she said, although she stressed the company’s balance sheet remained strong.
The brewer warned that pressures will continue into the current year, forecasting flat net sales in 2026 and a further 15-18 per cent drop in underlying pre-tax income, alongside a decline in earnings per share of up to 15 per cent.
The cautious outlook mirrors warnings from its global peers and reinforces expectations of another challenging year for beer, as inflation continues to squeeze consumer spending and shoppers moderate alcohol purchases.