Beer group Heineken saw own label sales rise 7.7% in volume terms last year, the highest increase in a decade, the company said on Wednesday.

Heineken puts the increase largely down to the success of its alcohol-free brand 0.0 which was launched in 2016 and is now available in 38 countries, more than double the 2017 total.

Sales in all regions grew and Brazil recorded a strong performance following the successful integration of the two businesses there, the company said.

‘Going into 2019, we expect the environment to remain uncertain and volatile,’ chief executive Jean-Francois van Boxmeer said. ‘Overall, we anticipate our operating profit (beia) to grow by mid-single digit on an organic basis.’

The brewing group booked net profit of €1.9bn, a drop of 1.6% on sales up 3.7% at nearly €27bn.