Nestle to cut 16,000 jobs worldwide over next two years

ZURICH: Nestle, the Swiss food giant whose brands include Nespresso coffee and Perrier water, will eliminate 16,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years, its new chief executive said on Thursday (Oct 16).

"The world is changing, and Nestle needs to change faster," Philipp Navratil, who took the reins of the multinational company in early September, said in a statement.

That included making "hard but necessary decisions to reduce headcount", he said.

Navratil spoke as the company published nine-month figures showing sales down by 1.9 per cent to 65.9 billion Swiss francs (US$83 billion).

The layoffs include 12,000 white-collar jobs, saving the company one billion Swiss francs - which it said was double what had been previously planned - on top of 4,000 job cuts already underway in production and the supply chain.

In response to queries from CNA, Nestle said the "announced workforce reduction" applies to all markets and all functions globally.

"It will affect each market in a different way, and each market will prepare its own plan," Nestle said.

"At this stage, we are not in a position to give specific numbers. 

"The plan will be subject to consultations with works councils in various markets," the company said.

Navratil said Nestle was increasing its savings target to three billion Swiss francs by the end of 2027, up from the previous target of 2.5 billion.

The food giant, which owns more than 2,000 brands - including Kit Kat chocolate bars and Purina dog food - experienced a turbulent September, with the dismissal of its previous CEO over an office relationship.

That was followed by the earlier-than-expected departure of its chairman.

Financial analysts hope that Navratil will succeed in restoring stability to the group, which has seen its growth falter since 2022. Nestle has also been rocked by a scandal surrounding its bottled water that began in France in 2024.

Organic sales growth amounted to 3.3 per cent in the first nine months of 2025, driven by price increases of 2.8 per cent.