Belgium: Domestic beer sales decline but exports up 8.1% last year

Belgian beer sales continue to slip. Last year, 7.7 million hectolitres of beer were sold, a 3.3 % slump, much worse than the average 1.4 % slump over the past twenty years, Retail Detail Europe reported on May 12.

Chairman of the Federatie van Belgische Brouwers (Federation of Belgian Brewers), Jean-Louis Van de Perre, says there are multiple reasons for that major drop. “The terrorist attack on 22 March definitely impacted the economic and social life in Belgium and the hospitality industry suffered tremendously. The excise increases also had a negative impact and the overall weak weather conditions did not help fill terraces,” he added.

The regular beers also suffered the brunt of the weaker sales, down 4.3 %. Degustation beers fared much better, growing 3.5 %. “The Belgian consumer’s drinking habits have changed. Their attention has turned towards craft beers, but that impacts beer volumes,” Van de Perre concludes. Seeing how regular beers still make up 71 % of the market, lower sales have a larger impact on overall sales volumes as well.

Beer export continues to grow: there was an 8.1 % increase last year, up to 14.1 million hectolitres of beer for foreign markets. The Netherlands are still the largest market abroad, with 2.32 million hectolitres, but the United States are closing in thanks to a 16.1 % increase to 2.2 million hectolitres.