With the economic and financial crisis now definitely behind it, Belgium has experienced limited yet stable growth in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue. In particular, the Belgian GDP has increased with 1.3% in 2014, 1.4% in 2015 and 2016, 1.7% in 2017 and, according to the National Bank of Belgium, a new 1.7% increase is expected for 2018.
In terms of M&A activity in Belgium, 2017 is considered to be a good year with a steady volume of deals. In comparison with 2016, there was a significant increase in M&A activity. Nonetheless, there were a few marque deals, such as the merger between retailers Delhaize and Ahold and the takeover of SABMiller by AB Inbev in 2016. For some time it looked like the key deal of 2017 would be the acquisition of Dole by Greenyard. This deal, however, fell through. However, the small and medium-sized enterprises segment of the market accounts for the majority of deals with an increasing interest of local and international private equity players in the Belgian market.
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