In Britain, Heineken's ownership of Scottish & Newcastle makes it the largest operator. Heineken attributed improvements in Britain to "better pricing and significant cost reductions," having closed two breweries. In the U.S., Heineken said it outperformed, with volumes down 1.7 percent versus a 3 percent fall in the overall market due to "high unemployment and weak consumer confidence." Dos Equis and Newcastle Brown volumes grew, while Heineken and Amstel declined. Operating profit in the Americas as a whole rose sharply to €223 million due to the Femsa buy. In Africa, which has passed the Americas as Heineken's second most important region by profit, volumes rose in Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt. Operating profit was up 5.4 percent to €273 million. Heineken had €9.17 billion in net debt at the end of June.