Increasingly more Dutch products in Belgian shopping trolleys
Belgian households are buying fewer and fewer Belgian products. Mainly due to the rise of supermarket chain Albert Heijn, many more Dutch products are ending up in Belgian shopping trolleys. The Belgian food industry federation Fevia denounces “the increasing supply from the Netherlands” and “the race to the lowest price”.
The share of Belgian products in Belgian households' food and beverage expenditure fell to 62.3 per cent in 2023. In 2010, that share was almost 5 percentage points higher. “By way of comparison, in France and Germany, for example, the share of domestic products is around 75 per cent,” explained Fevia economist Carole Dembour.
Dutch products in particular saw a significant increase during the same period, doubling to 16 per cent. This seems to be mainly due to the rise of Albert Heijn and Jumbo in Flanders. The Dutch supermarket chains supply their Belgian shops from the Netherlands and, according to Dembour, Belgian food companies are finding it difficult to gain a foothold, especially in the private label market. On top of that, there is also the phenomenon of cross-border shopping, with Belgians in particular often shopping at the French border.
As a result of the arrival of Dutch retailers in Belgium, there has also been a price war between supermarket chains for several years. Recently, a “2+5 free” promotion by Albert Heijn caused quite a stir. “Promotions like this hurt everyone,” stated Dembour. “There are no winners. It puts enormous pressure on the entire food chain.”
Illustration © PHOTO RAMON VAN FLYMEN / ANP
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