The take over of Mexican beer maker Femsa helped push up Heineken’s first half net profits to €621m, compared with €482m a year ago, the brewing giant said on Wednesday.

Sales rose from €7.1bn to €7.5bn over the same period.
Sales were down in Europe and North America as consumers stop spending or turn to cheaper beer, the company said in a statement.
In the short term, Heineken said it ‘remains cautious on the development of beer consumption in Europe and the USA due to continued weak consumer spending and planned austerity measures across many countries’. But volume sales in Latin America, Africa and Asia are expected to continue to grow.