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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
Beer is considered the world's best-selling alcoholic beverage.
It is mainly produced from barley malt, sometimes supplemented by other cereals. It can be consumed in bottles, cans or kegs. There are several types of beer: lager, white beer, red beer and brown beer. This difference in color results from the choice of malt and the temperature at which it is boiled.
Belgium's brewing sector is particularly diverse, ranging from large industrial brewers to artisanal micro-breweries. Some of the country's oldest breweries date back centuries, while new ones continue to spring up. There are some 430 breweries throughout the country, all of which help to renew the range of products on offer and bring certain innovations to beer.
Beer is an important part of Belgian culture. It's a hallmark of national know-how, which is reflected in the product's extensive exports. Today, we can count between 60 and 110 hop producers, which proves that this sector is extremely rich and varied.
Belgian beers are distinguished by their variety of styles, each with its own distinctive taste:
Among the most famous are the following categories:
- Abbey beers
- Lambic beers
- Gueuzes
- White beers: brewed with wheat and pale malts;
- Blonde beers: brewed with pale barley malts;
- Rousse or amberbeers: brewed with more roasted barley malts;
- Brown beers: brewed with highly roasted brown malts.
The Belgian beer market, however, faces a number of challenges, including increased regulatory pressure in the area of public health, as well as changing consumer habits, with a growing preference for alcohol-free products.
However, Belgian breweries can count on several levers for growth, particularly the premiumization of the market, the craze for craft beers and the rise of brewery wine tourism, which attracts thousands of visitors to the country's breweries every year.
In addition, the low-trend segment is growing in popularity with the development of alcohol-free beers. Growth is stabilizing at around 10% a year, and these beers are becoming more and more popular as a substitute for beer and alcoholic beverages.
Finally, the sector remains highly attractive, with a stable industrial structure.
The global beer market is dominated by a number of major international players(AbinBev, Heineken, CR Snow). The rest of the market is made up of alarge number of independent local players. The Belgian market is no exception to this trend. Local players are dynamic, and Belgians remain attached to local, artisanal production.
Finally, beer in Belgium remains a key segment of the global alcoholic beverage market , oscillating between know-how and new trends.
1.2 The global market
World beer production
In ****, world beer production was *.** billion hectolitres, compared with *.* billion hectolitres in ****.
world beer production since **** World, ****-****, billion hectolitres Source: ****
Below, we evaluate the world's largest beer producers. Germany and Spain are the biggest producers.
Largest beer producers World, ****, in hL Source: ****
Below, we can see the number of breweries present in each European country.
Below, we can also see which countries are the world's biggest beer consumers. Belgium is only **th in the ranking in ****.
Beer consumption in **** World, ****, in ****hL Source: ****
On the other hand, below we can observe the different market shares of the ...
1.3 The Belgian beer market
The beer market in Belgium is very dynamic.
Beer manufacturing sales in Belgium (***) Belgium, ****-****, in ? Source: ****
What's more, as we saw in the previous section, Belgian brands are among the best in the world, as demonstrated by Ab In Dev.
Below is a breakdown of the proportion between consumption and export ofbeer in Belgium. It can be seen that almost **% of the beer created in Belgium is reserved for own consumption by Belgians.
Breakdown of beer consumption/export ratio in Belgium Belgium, ****, in Source: ****
1.4 Foreign trade
The Belgian beer trade balance is shown below.
evolution of the Belgian beer trade balance Belgium, ****-****, in millions of euros and in % FPS Economy, SMEs, Self-employed and Energy
Belgium's trade balance is highly profitable, with a coverage rate of ****% in ****. This coverage rate is tending to increase, mainly thanks to a drop in imports.
evolution of Belgian beer trade balance (***) Belgium, ****-****, in millions of euros and in % FPS Economy, SMEs, Self-employed and Energy
This is reflected in both intra-EU and extra-EU trade.
evolution of Belgian beer trade balance (***) Belgium, ****-****, in millions of euros and as a % FPS Economy, ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Belgians and beer
Belgium is world-renowned for its exceptional brewing tradition, making beer a central part of its cultural heritage. With over *,*** different types of beer to choose from, Belgians consider beer to be an art form, and each region has its own unique character. Such is the importance of beer in Belgium that it has been included in UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.
A recent study by iVOX shows that for more than * out of * Belgians (***) believe that Belgian beer culture helps put their country on the international map.
This cultural heritage is driving a boom in spirit tourism in Belgium. This type ...
2.2 Beer consumption in Belgium
Belgium is one of the countries in the world with the highest alcohol consumption per capita. However, thanks to numerous campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol and a growing focus on public health, beer consumption has fallen drastically since the ****s.
Between **** and **** , beer consumption fell by almost **% . Between **** and ****, per capita beer consumption fell by almost **%.
Beer consumption by Belgians ****-**** Belgium, ****-****, in L/year/person Source: ****
Let's now look at thenumber of beers Belgians drink per week. Nearly **% of Walloon Belgians, or * in * Belgians, drink more than ** beers a week, which is still a very ...
2.3. Overconsumption of alcohol in Belgium
Worldwide, the problem of alcohol dependence is a major issue for the WHO, which launched its Global Alcohol Action Plan ****-**** in ****.
Belgium has excessive alcohol consumption, with average annual consumption exceeding European levels. Alcohol is the *ᵉ cause of death in the country and inevitably leads to a reduced quality of life among people aged ** and over. In Belgium, in ****, alcohol-related deaths corresponded to almost *.*% of all deaths.
Concerning episodes of excessive alcohol consumption, **% of Belgians admitted to having exaggerated at least once a month on alcohol.
By ****, **% of the Belgian population was drinking to excess, i.e. more than ** units ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Value chain
Beer-making involves producing an alcoholic beverage by fermenting a cereal wort whose complex sugars have been made fermentable. The basic concept is simple: yeast transforms the sugars into alcohol, and the level of this alcohol eventually kills the yeast once a certain concentration has been reached.
Below, you can see the detailed value chain involved in making beer.
[***]
3.2 Beer distribution structure in Belgium
Beer distribution in Belgium is organized on several levels. It is divided into two distinct categories:
retail CHR (***) or HoReCa
A significant proportion of production is exported, thanks to their international reputation, but also to supermarkets.
The graph below shows that beer sales in Belgium's supermarkets are declining .
Beer sales in Belgian supermarkets Belgium, ?, in Source: ****
Some beersare also sold in HoReCa , as shown in the graph below.
trend in beer sales in HoReCa (***) Belgium, ****-****, in hL Source: ****
fruity beers
consumed as HoReCa
Pils
in retail outlets.
Market share by beer type Belgium, ****, in Source: ****
3.3 Beer production in Belgium
Below, we can analyze the evolution of beer production in Belgium between **** and ****. We can see that production levels fell sharply with the Covid crisis, but have picked up again in the last two years.
beer production trends in Belgium Belgium, ****-****, index base *** in **** FPS Economy, SMEs, Self-employed and Energy
We can observe that beer production is a dynamic activity since since ****, the number of active breweries has almost doubled, from *** to *** in ****.
Number of active breweries in Belgium Belgium, ****-****, in units Source: ****
Beer production in Belgium is a veritable industry. It employs almost *,*** people in Belgium, and nearly ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Types of Belgian beer
Below are the different types of beer and their main characteristics.
Source: ****
Below, we take a look atBelgian beer consumption by type. We can see that Pils and Trappist beers are the most widely consumed by Belgians.
Belgian beer consumption by type Belgium, ? in % of total Source: ****
4.3. Beer supply trends in Belgium
In Belgium, the beer market is undergoing a significant transformation under the influence of several trends.
Firstly, non-alcoholic beer is gaining in popularity: it now accounts for around *% of total consumption, a proportion on the rise with a constantly expanding offer. Several Belgian breweries, from the most artisanal to the most industrial, are including alcohol-free beers in their range to meet the growing demand for less alcoholic products, driven by health and road safety concerns.
Below are just a few examples of alcohol-free beers.
[***]
Luxury and specialty beers continue to win over Belgian and international consumers. These beers, often characterized ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Excise duty
Excise taxes are indirect taxes levied on certain consumer goods, particularly beverages.
Packaging duty in Belgium : *.** €/hl on individual beverage containers. Possible reduction to €*.**/hl with a "reusable container" certificate Storage with Minimum Stock: Minimum stock required on an annual basis: Beer: **** hl Wine: *** hl Intermediate products: ** hl Spirits: ** hl DETT bond (***) : Bond: ***% of the excise duty due on the consignment. DE bond (***): Holding bond: **% of excise duty due on average monthly stock. Shipment bond: ***% of excise duties for * weeks of normal shipment activity (***). Entrepositaire Agréé (***) authorization: Authorization with an excise number starting with BE*...... EA bond: **% of excise duties due ...
5.2 Current regulations
In Belgium, according to the Government, the sale of alcohol is subject to legal restrictions designed to protect young people from alcohol abuse. The main rules include :
minimum age: It is forbidden to sell, serve or offer alcohol to young people under the age of sixteen. In addition, the sale of spirituous beverages is prohibited to young people under the age of eighteen. Age control: Horeca operators and store personnel are authorized to ask for proof of age, such as an identity card or other valid document. In case of doubt, the vendor is advised to refuse the sale of alcohol. Vending ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Carrefour Groupe
- AB InBev
- Swinkels Family Brewers (Bavaria)
- SAB Miller (AB Inbev)
- Carlsberg
- Anheuser-Busch InBev
- Carrefour Belgique
- Duvel Moortgat Group
- Ahold Delhaize
- Colruyt
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The beer market | Belgium
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