The Dutch brewer Heineken has seen a rise in its profit in the last six months despite of reducing beer sales.

The net profit of the company has climbed up to 621 million euros in the first six months of this year, which was up by 17% in the same time period of last year.

According to the company, the rise in profit was boosted by the cost cuts and the company achieved profit despite of a 2.3% fall in its beer sales.

The brewer has blamed the rise in taxes and the economic environment for the fall in its beer sales. Heineken is behind most of the popular beer brands in Europe.

The UK operations of Heineken have made a huge contribution in the profits rise of the company because of the higher prices. The firm has closed its breweries in Dunston and Reading nearby Newcastle.

The Dutch took over those factories as a part of the deal to buy Newcastle and Scottish in the year 2008. According to the company, the decision of closure has pushed up the earnings strongly.