The move by Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Singapore to retrench 33 employees here this week is part of a larger strategy to stay competitive amid high operating costs and changing consumer behaviours.
The firm, which has been in Singapore for 92 years and is now part of The Heineken Company, let the staff go on Nov 23.
Managing director Reinoud Ottervanger told The Straits Times in an exclusive interview on Nov 30 that rising costs in Singapore, lower productivity and changing consumer habits drove the decision.
"It's also our task to look ahead, to continuously adjust to the changing reality and to ensure that our business model is futureproof," he added.
"The cost of labour in Singapore is very high, which, combined with high inflationary pressure, puts pressure on all of us and also our business.
Denne historien er fra December 02, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 02, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Response to retention of Siglap block shows everyday buildings have value
As to what to do with it now, one could look to Hong Kong's Mei Ho House for inspiration
Worker taken to hospital after falling 2.3m at RTS Link construction site
A construction worker was injured on Oct 10 after falling from a height of about 2.3m at a worksite for the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link station in Woodlands North.
Battered Florida begins long road to recovery after major hurricanes
Many still without power, water and sewage services; clearing of debris may take months
Famous red gate at Tokyo university in danger of collapsing
TOKYO — Generations of Japan’s top scholars and leaders have passed through it on their way to building an advanced society. Now the Akamon Gate, the distinctive red gate on The University of Tokyo’s campus in central Tokyo, is in danger of collapse.
Northern Lights animate night skies around the globe
NEW YORK - Night skies came aglow on Oct 10 with the shimmering palette of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis.
Remains of climber who went missing 100 years ago found on Everest
KATHMANDU – A documentary team discovered human remains on Mount Everest apparently belonging to a man who went missing while trying to reach the summit of the peak 100 years ago, National Geographic magazine reported on Oct 11.
From timber to tech Sibu's spotty transition to joining Sarawak's booming economy
SIBU, Sarawak - On the hour-long cruise along Sibu's waterfront, a recorded audio commentary boasts that the town once had more millionaires than anywhere else in Borneo, thanks to the post-war timber boom.
Two Singaporeans among six opera performers arrested in Penang
BUTTERWORTH, Penang - Six foreign opera actors, including two Singaporean women, were apprehended in Penang, Malaysia, for allegedly breaching their social visit passes by staging performances.
Woman in Russian tank factory sent to penal colony for selling info to Ukraine
MOSCOW - A woman who worked for a Russian tank factory was convicted of treason and sentenced to 12 1/2 years in a penal colony on Oct 11 for selling military information to Ukraine.
Malaysians capitalising on stronger ringgit to buy gadgets
GEORGE TOWN, Penang - With the ringgit on an upward trend, upgrading electronic gadgets seems to be on everyone's minds in Malaysia now.