sabmillerFin24 reports that SA Breweries (SAB), the local unit of global brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), has embarked on a retrenchment process at its local operations that could affect some 40 jobs.

SAB confirmed on Thursday it had embarked on a restructuring process and had started consultations with affected employees, but said that only a "very small amount – less than 0.01%" of the group's 5,000 permanent South African jobs would be affected. It also planned, where possible, to absorb affected staff into other areas of its business. The company said the restructuring process followed it having reviewed its operating models across the business in line with its "continuous improvement processes and a dynamic environment globally". This review recommended changes to human resource allocations. Earlier on Thursday, AB InBev reported that SAB had delivered record total-full-year volumes after its beer market share moved ahead of its pre-pandemic levels. Explaining the strong performance, AB InBev said a "focused commercial investment" and consistently executing its strategy for increasing the brand power of its "beer and beyond beer portfolios" had helped drive the South African performance. But the fourth quarter of 2022 had brought some headwinds for its SA operations due to production constraints at its Prospecton brewery, caused by floods in KwaZulu-Natal


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