There’s a nice wee bonus if you work for Heineken, starting with the June bank holiday, as the company is giving every employee €250 each to spend in bars.

The company has set up what it calls a ‘staff stimulus fund’ amounting to €275,000 to support the re-opening of the hospitality sector — and will spend a total of €10m on its ‘Fresh Beginnings’ support programme to help recovery in the sector.

The brewer says the €10m programme is the largest in its 165-year history.

The plan is that Heineken employees will fan out into their locals armed with a €250 voucher which they can use to treat fellow customers, friends or family to a round. Sales reps will be visiting, too, with a ‘welcome back’ pack of gift vouchers for bar staff.

Commercial director Sharon Walsh said: “We have never been more aware that behind every closed door over the past 400 days are people and families.  That’s why every member of our Heineken family is pulling together to be personally involved in contributing to a fresh beginning for the sector, after a truly unprecedented 18 months.”

In Association with

Heinieken is promising €3m in assistance to pubs enhancing their outdoor areas, €2.5m on advertising campaigns through this summer, and what the company calls ‘strategic relief’ to its publican customers through keg replenishment to the value of €4.2m.

Production at the Cork brewery has been at full tilt, with more than 8.5 million pints of the lager to be brewed this month and next — 72,000 pints per hour currently, with 60 trucks leaving each week to get the brew to where it will be drunk.