2 | Market structure, trends
and developments
The Netherlands is Europe’s largest beer-exporting country,
and ranks ffth in production (behind Germany, the United
Kingdom, Spain and Poland). In the rest of the world, only
Mexico exports more beer volume. 14.1 million hectolitres
of the total beer production in the Netherlands in 2010
(24.2 million hectolitres) is exported to other countries.
The majority of these exports (8.6 million hectolitres in
2008) are for North America. 4.2 million hectolitres of the
exported beer remained within the European Union. The
United Kingdom and Spain are the European countries
which import most Dutch beer. Another substantial volume
is consumed in Africa (1.3 million hectolitres) and Asia
1.4 (million hectolitres). In Europe, export volumes are
decreasing, while exports to Africa and Asia are increasing.
22
Source : questionnaires among breweries, 2011
23
Source : Global Beer Trends 2008, Canedean Ltd. 2008.
24
Source : National Brewers’ Association of the Netherlands, Nederlandse Brouwersr, 2011.
›
Source : National Brewers’ Association of the Netherlands,
Nederlandse Brouwers (2009)
Exports in
hectolitres in 2008
European Union
4,170,134
United Kingdom
841,521
Spain
781,133
France
615,259
Italy
479,531
Belgium/Luxembourg
557,196
Ireland
210,075
Rest of Europe
392,628
Africa
1,296,886
North America
8,518,825
South America
557,847
Asia
1,494,748
Oceania
160,227
One of the world’s largest brewing companies is Dutch.
The largest brewery in the Netherlands, belonging to this
brewing company, produces 16.3 million hectolitres a
year (in three production plants) of which almost 70% is
exported.
22
Besides this market leader there are three
other brewing companies with a market share above 10%.
Although the large Dutch beer manufacturers operate
internationally, some medium and smaller breweries
have a strong regional consumer base. An example is an
independent brewery in the south of the Netherlands, with
a company policy of buying ingredients within the home
region. Such breweries have a relatively large economic
impact on their home areas.
Factors that infuence the impact of the brewing sector
on the Dutch economy are the following.
Brewing sector internal characteristics :
Market structure with four biggest players together
having a market share of 90%.
23
Larger breweries have a strong international orientation
and are among the most effcient in Europe.
The low-price segment is growing at the expense
of the premium segment.
Outsourcing of non-core activities (such as transport).
Context in which the brewing sector operates :
The Dutch beer market is stagnating (total beer
consumption in 2010 was 12.2 million hectolitres, which
is a little less than the consumption in 2008 (12.9 million
hectolitres).
24
The Netherlands is a relatively small and open country,
thus a substantial proportion of supplies are imported.
Strong pressure on supermarket beer pricing, because
strong competition between retailers.
In 2008 a smoking ban was introduced in Dutch pubs
and restaurants.
The Contribution made by Beer to the European Economy
170