Heineken and Duvel Moortgat are among the prime candidates bidding for the acquisition of Brouwerij Haacht. According to reports by the Belgian financial newspapers De Tijd and L'Echo, more than five interested parties remain in the running following the conclusion of the first selection round of the sales process.
The remaining prospective buyers include other brewing companies as well as investment funds and consortia composed of beer industry players and real estate specialists. Despite or perhaps because of declining overall beer consumption, interest in established family-owned breweries in the Benelux countries remains high. This trend was recently demonstrated by the full acquisition of the Dutch craft brewer Gulpener by Grolsch, a subsidiary of the Japanese Asahi group (inside.beer, 2026-07-02).
This combined bidding approach of brewers and real estate investors is highly relevant for the current case, as Brouwerij Haacht operates a large-scale brewery and simultaneously holds a substantial portfolio of approximately 270 hospitality properties spread across Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. The company is well-known in the region for its beer brands Primus, Super 8, Tongerlo, and Flandrien.
According to industry reports, the decision to sell the business was catalyzed by an internal dispute within the founding family. Brouwerij Haacht had been under the leadership of Fréderic van der Kelen for 52 years until his son, Boudewijn van der Kelen, succeeded him as CEO in 2020.
In recent years, the company, which is listed on the Euronext Growth Brussels exchange via its parent company Co.Br.Ha., has struggled with a challenging market environment. For the financial year 2024, the brewery experienced its second consecutive year of volume declines, with total revenue dropping by 5.7 percent to EUR 112.1 million and net losses nearly doubling to EUR 8.2 million (inside.beer, 2025-04-08).
Both Heineken, which ranks as the second-largest brewing group globally, and Duvel Moortgat, led by CEO Michel Moortgat, have a long track record of expanding their market presence through acquisitions. A final agreement regarding the takeover of Brouwerij Haacht has not yet been reached.
