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Drinks

Belgian Beer Exports Decline For First Time In Ten Years

By Dayeeta Das
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Belgian Beer Exports Decline For First Time In Ten Years

The Belgian beer market has witnessed a slump in domestic sales and exports for the first time in ten years, with both seeing an 18% decline, according to a report in the online publication gondola.be.

The market lost approximately 42% of beer sales, or the equivalent of half a billion pints, due to the closure of the hospitality sector.

Belgian Beer Market

Despite an increase in sales in the off-trade channel, the Belgian beer market suffered overall as a result of COVID-19.

Elsewhere, a ban on alcohol sales after eight o'clock in the evening led to a loss in turnover in the take-away and retail sector, the report noted.

Overall, domestic beer sales fell by 18.6% compared to 2019.

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In the retail sector, beer consumption saw a slight increase of 2.6%, but on-trade beer consumption plunged to an unsurprising all-time low of -47.8%.

According to an industry figure, "such a setback in the hospitality industry has not happened since the Second World War," the report added.

Exports outside the European Union experienced a drop of 18.3% compared to 2019, reversing a decade-old growth trend, whereby exports of Belgian beer increased consecutively.

However, within the EU, exports increased by 3.3%, with France, the Netherlands and Spain emerging as the biggest markets.

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Impact Of COVID-19

The cancellation of several festivals, sports, and cultural events led to a decline in demand for Belgian beers, particularly lagers, compared to other artisanal beers, the report said.

However, the sales of non-alcoholic beers stabilized in 2020.

A survey by the Belgian beer industry showed that a majority of breweries (59%) that had no problems before the COVID-19 pandemic are now in bad shape.

Among cafes that participated in the survey, 18% said they were on the verge of bankruptcy, and 26% were facing significant difficulties.

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According to the report, more breweries than pubs stand the risk of closure, with almost 600 jobs in the brewing sector in danger.

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, a significant number of brewers opened their own brewery in the last year, with the number of breweries increasing from 340 to 379.

Elsewhere, around 21 brewers stopped brewing permanently.

© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Drinks news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.

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