🇧🇪 Foreign ownership of Belgian brands
39.1% of the 64 Belgian brands with a controlling owner (25) are owned by a company headquartered outside Belgium, most often in the United States, Germany and France. That ranks 9 of 94 countries analysed.
Which countries own them
| Owner headquartered in | Brands | Share of foreign-owned | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | 6 | 24% | |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 4 | 16% | |
| 🇫🇷 France | 4 | 16% | |
| 🇧🇲 Bermuda | 2 | 8% | |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 2 | 8% | |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 2 | 8% | |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 1 | 4% | |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 1 | 4% | |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | 1 | 4% | |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | 1 | 4% | |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 1 | 4% |
Largest foreign owners
| Owner | Headquarters | Belgian brands owned |
|---|---|---|
| Mohawk | 🇺🇸 United States | 3 |
| Liberty Global | 🇧🇲 Bermuda | 2 |
| Mondelēz | 🇺🇸 United States | 2 |
| Orange | 🇫🇷 France | 2 |
| Ahold Delhaize | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 1 |
| Awaze | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1 |
| BNP Paribas | 🇫🇷 France | 1 |
| Carlsberg | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 1 |
| Challenge Group | 🇮🇱 Israel | 1 |
| Danone | 🇫🇷 France | 1 |
Where foreign ownership is highest
Top-level categories with at least 5 Belgian brands that have a controlling owner.
| Category | Brands | Foreign-owned | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | 12 | 8 | 66.7% |
| Home, garden & DIY | 12 | 4 | 33.3% |
| Travel & transport | 9 | 3 | 33.3% |
| Beverages | 16 | 1 | 6.3% |
Examples
- Alpro owned by Danone
- Ardennes-étape owned by Awaze
- BASE (Belgium) owned by Liberty Global
- BNP Paribas Fortis owned by BNP Paribas
- Brussels Airlines owned by Lufthansa Group
- Challenge Airlines BE owned by Challenge Group
- Cosynel owned by Sofidel
- Côte d'Or owned by Mondelēz
- DEMEYERE owned by ZWILLING
- Delhaize owned by Ahold Delhaize
- Godiva Biscuits owned by pladis
- Grimbergen owned by Carlsberg
How this is computed
Of 65 Belgian brands recorded, 64 have a current controlling owner (outright or a stake of 50% or more, followed up to the ultimate parent). The other 1 are licensed, part-owned or lack a current owner and are left out. A brand is foreign-owned when that ultimate parent is headquartered in a different country from the brand's origin. Data as of . Method and ranking for all countries.
Coverage caveat. The brands tracked skew towards those held by large filing companies, so this overstates foreign ownership relative to every brand in the country. See also the Belgium country page.