Volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in 2016. This was the result of a combination of factors, for example an excise duty increase, the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive and declining social acceptance of smoking in ...

Amid increasing health concerns, tightening legislation and higher unit prices, the volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in 2016. Smoking tobacco also registered a very poor performance, down significantly from a flat review period ...

Two main factors shaped beer’s performance in 2016. On the one hand, the continuous decline in domestic mid-priced lager in the off- and on-trade channels had a very negative impact on overall volume sales. On the other hand, premiumisation and ...

Despite success in other European countries, the demand for cider/perry declined for much of the review period. However, realising the significant room for growth in Belgium, Brouwerijen Alken Maes, supported by its GBO Heineken, introduced Strongbow...

The excise duty increases in November 2015 had a strong impact on total volume sales of alcoholic drinks in 2016. The hike in the average unit prices of key categories spirits and wine depressed volume sales. The impact on value sales varied, with ...

In November 2015, the government introduced a tax hike on spirits. Excise duty increased from EUR2,125 to EUR2.993 per hectolitre of pure alcohol. While spirits was the most affected category, the impact on RTDs/high-strength premixes was very ...

The major story in spirits was the excise duty hike implemented by the Belgian government in November 2015, which had a large impact on sales in 2016. Price increases led to very strong decreases in total volume sales for some types of spirits. The ...

Belgium was one of the biggest consumers of wine among non-wine producing countries, with per capita consumption of 26 litres in 2016. However, this relatively mature category was negatively impacted by the excise duty increase in November 2015. ...

In 2017, cat food is set to follow similar patterns as witnessed in 2016: the development of premium brands, especially in wet food, and increasing demand for treats, which are likely to result in solid value sales growth. The marginal increase in ...

2017 looks to mirror 2016’s performance in several ways. The dog population is set to marginally decline; volume sales will display a marginally negative performance, while value sales are expected to grow. Premiumisation will continue to drive ...

2017 is expected to follow trends observed in 2016: premiumisation is likely to boost value sales as the population of small mammals/reptiles is set to continue growing. One of the key factors is likely to be the development of a mid-priced product ...

Pet care is recording a very positive performance in terms of value sales in 2017. However, volume sales are registering a less positive performance, mainly due to demographics trends. While the population of cats, birds and small mammals/reptiles is...

2017 is set to follow the main trends observed in 2016: premiumisation and humanisation are likely to continue pushing demand for high quality, functional and organic products. Consumers are likely to look for the best products for their pets and ...

The most significant trend in 100% home delivery/takeaway in 2016 was the ongoing explosion in the popularity of online ordering, which once again registered double-digit growth to claim a value share of 25% in the category. Strong growth in online ...

Cafés/bars saw total current value sales decline continuously between 2011 and 2014. This declining trend, which was already underway long before 2011, was the result of saturation in large cities and towns, weak profitability and the growing ...

The main story in Belgian consumer foodservice in 2016 was the negative impact of the terrorist attacks that occurred in Brussels in March, which made many consumers more reluctant to go out in the capital city. Even before these attacks, the city ...

All foodservice categories were not equal in terms of the negative impact of the Brussels terrorist attacks in 2016. Full-service restaurants outlets, which tend to be busiest at dinner time, were worst affected as the fear of further attacks ...

The most influential factor to affect the performance of full-service restaurants in 2016 was increased concern about public security following the terrorist attacks that took place at Zaventem airport and the Maelbeek metro station in Brussels in ...

After showing signs of recovery in 2015, in 2016 Belgian consumer foodservice was negatively affected by increased public security concerns in the wake of the bloody terrorist attacks that occurred in Paris in November 2015 and Brussels in March ...

For much of the review period, the development of self-service cafeterias in Belgium was hampered somewhat by waning levels of consumer traffic in locations where such outlets are typically found, ie shopping malls, hypermarkets, travel rest areas ...