You would rather expect the Federation Horeca Vlaanderen to ask the question, but when beer giant AB Inbev starts to interfere with decisions that have to be taken within the Consultation Committee, you will have to look out. In the first place, you would think that AB Inbev wants to stand up for the hospitality industry that still has no idea of the reopening of their businesses. As it looks for AB Inbev, it is a matter of choosing the interests of public health or starting up the production of beers for the hospitality industry. In the hospitality industry still not a drop of beer is sold and now AB Inbev wants to know where they stand.
pressure on the government
The beer magnate is now demanding from the federal government that cafés and restaurants in Belgium can reopen their doors from April 1. AB Inbev expects the government to make a decision at the next Consultation Committee without making a distinction between cafes and restaurants. According to the brewer responsible for supplying some 10.000 Belgian pubs, these preparatory works would normally take about eight weeks. The Bbrewery is known for brands such as Bud, Hertog Jan, Jupiler, Leffe, Dommelsch and Corona.
rent arrears
AB Inbev does not own any properties itself, but rents out properties that it in turn rents from property owners. More than 10% of the buildings are rented directly from the brewery by the catering relations. A striking compensation to the tenants in the Netherlands was that the relations who did not support rent arrears received a 25% rent cancellation for the months of November, December and January. Does Ab Inbev really stand up for tenants of the buildings? Last week, AB Inbev lost a lawsuit against the operators of Café de Kastelein on Vismarktstraat in Breda. The brewery asked for the building to be vacated due to a substantial rent arrears, but the judge finds that there is no urgent interest. In addition, the judge does not consider it likely that a new tenant will be found, since pubs have to remain closed due to the corona measures. Several court rulings have since been published, concerning the extent to which a payment obligation applies in the catering industry at the time of the corona crisis. The judge ruled that a demand for the rent is not reasonable, as it is a forced closure.
The biggest beer brewer in the world has committed to deploy additional staff to complete everything in four weeks, to enable the reopening on April 1. After the sudden closure of the catering industry, brewers and suppliers now first have to collect the expired products from the cellars of the catering businesses and new products must be delivered. As long as there is no view of the opening of the catering industry, this cannot happen.
management change
Chris Vanbroekhoven will become the new general manager of AB InBev beer brewery from 1 April 2021. He succeeds Nicolas Bartholomeeusen. Chris Vanbroekhoven has been with the brewer since 2008 and has since held various roles in sales and marketing for the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
