41% of the Belgian foodservice turnover has vanished

As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, the Belgian hotel & catering industry lost no less than 41% of its market during the first 7 months of 2020. This is the conclusion of a large-scale study by the Foodservice Alliance knowledge network. “Half of the catering entrepreneurs have already considered closing their business,” says Director Gert Laurijssen. “By the end of 2020, 4 out of 10 hospitality entrepreneurs will actually be technically bankrupt should there be no extra government support.

Figures from the Foodservice Alliance Barometer show that the catering sector is being hit hard by teleworking. White collar companies in particular, i.e. the service sector, have adopted teleworking as a new way of working. Caterers see significantly fewer visitors in their company restaurants. As a result, the Belgian company catering channel has already lost 40% of its market this year. Not much recovery is expected in the coming months either. Only in the blue collar segment, i.e. the manufacturing industry, has activity remained relatively stable.

Source: Foodservice Alliance, Aug-Sept 2020