Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/11/2014 -- Belgium was one of the last countries to ban smoking in caf?s/bars in Western Europe. Two and a half years after taking this belated decision, the assessment has been catastrophic for caf?s/bars. Coupled with an increase of 20% in the price of beer, it had a disastrous effect on consumer footfall and sales from 2011 to 2013. Moreover, the smoking ban was also accompanied by tougher controls and legislation. Thus, caf?s/bars lost thousands of outlets, which closed down between July 2011 and the end of 2013.

Competitive Landscape

Independent outlets monopolise sales in caf?s/bars, and leave only a minimal share for chained outlets. In such a fragmented competitive landscape, it is easy for an international chain to capture leadership. Only three years after its entry into consumer foodservice in Belgium, the American brand Starbucks captured the leadership of overall chained caf?s/bars in 2010, and forged ahead from 2011 to 2013. From 2009, Starbucks seemed to focus on Western Europe, where the concept was still not well-established in some countries. In Belgium, the first Starbucks opened in an excellent prime location in Brussels airport in the summer of 2008 via the master franchisee Autogrill Belgie. The concept has so far been deemed a success, and it thus opened a new outlet each year from 2009.

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Industry Prospects

The effect of the smoking ban will continue to wreak havoc in caf?s/bars in the short term. According to SNI, 15% to 20% of outlets still tolerate smoking even though it is illegal. This number will decline due to increasingly frequent controls, fines and even judicial proceedings. Professional federations propose smoking rooms. For ?3,000, bars can maintain a smoking area where the air is frequently removed and purified. However, the concept does not appeal to consumers. Thus, further hundreds and even thousands of independent caf?s/bars could close, notably those with a turnover of less than ?40,000 per year, which would otherwise have survived. These are often old bars which have a limited number of clients per day, amongst which are a majority of smokers and older consumers.

Report Overview

Discover the latest market trends and uncover sources of future market growth for the Caf?s/Bars industry in Belgium with research from Euromonitor's team of in-country analysts.

Find hidden opportunities in the most current research data available, understand competitive threats with our detailed market analysis, and plan your corporate strategy with our expert qualitative analysis and growth projections.

If you're in the Caf?s/Bars industry in Belgium, our research will save you time and money while empowering you to make informed, profitable decisions.

The Caf?s/Bars in Belgium market research report includes:

- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Historic volumes and values, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent market research methodology, conducted in-country

Our market research reports answer questions such as:

- What is the market size of Caf?s/Bars in Belgium?
- What are the major brands in Belgium?
- What are the growth prospects for specialist coffee shops in Belgium?
- How important are traditional caf?s or bars to the foodservice landscape in Belgium?
- How are domestic specialist coffee shop chains fairing against multinational chains?

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- Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions

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