Palm NV announces its intention to centralise filling operations and future-proof its Belgian brewing activities.
16-09-2026Steenhuffel – Today, Palm NV announced to the works council its intention to transfer the filling operations in Steenhuffel in phases to existing filling lines within the group. Brewing activities in Steenhuffel will continue unchanged. The canning line, the distribution centre, the commercial activities of Swinkels Belgium and operations in Roeselare will also remain unchanged. With this proposed move, Royal Swinkels aims to utilise the available production capacity within the group more efficiently and create room for future investments in its Belgian brands and growth segments. This intention relates exclusively to bottling and keg-filling operations and the associated support services.
The beer market in Belgium and Western Europe has been under significant pressure for some time (*). Falling consumption volumes, changing consumer habits and increasing overcapacity in the sector are also having an impact on the bottling and keg-filling operations in Steenhuffel. At the same time, several filling lines are approaching the end of their economic life. Against this backdrop, Royal Swinkels investigated how the available production capacity could be utilised more efficiently. In this context, the Board of Directors of Palm NV has announced its intention to transfer the bottling and keg filling operations in Steenhuffel, in phases, to existing filling lines within Royal Swinkels.
With this project, the group aims to reduce operational costs, optimise investments and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of its Belgian operations. The aim is to create more room for investment in its Belgian brands and to further develop growth segments that respond to changing consumer trends.
Sven Stuer, Managing Director of Palm NV: “Palm NV has a rich history in Steenhuffel and will continue to play an important role within Royal Swinkels in the future. By reorganising our filling operations, we are creating room to further strengthen our brands and brewing activities and to develop new markets.”
If the intention is confirmed following the statutory information and consultation procedure, this could lead to the collective dismissal of 33 employees out of a total of 147 employees.
Sven Stuer adds: “Palm NV is much more than just an employer to our staff. Generations of colleagues have helped build a brewery here where craftsmanship, pride and a sense of community are central. That is why we are very well aware of the impact this intention will have. Our priority now is to keep our employees properly informed, to engage respectfully with the social partners, and to support everyone as best we can throughout this process.”
Today, the statutory information and consultation procedure was launched with the employee representatives. If the intention is confirmed at the end of the information and consultation phase, Palm NV will make every effort to work with the social partners to develop appropriate support measures for the employees concerned.
(*) Source: Belgian Brewers Annual Report / 17 June 2026: Jaarverslag 2025 - Belgian Brewers