For regarding three weeks, and following new energy bills, 10% of bakeries have either reduced their number of opening days per week, or closed temporarily or permanently.
The bakery sector is very energy-consuming: a baker can neither lower the temperature of his oven (240 degrees for at least 10 hours a day), nor increase the temperature of his cold room.
It is therefore very difficult to save money, because everything has increased in terms of raw materials too: from the price of flour to that of butter, to packaging, which has increased by 25% because of the price of paper. Electricity bills have been multiplied by three and gas bills by five.
Damian, baker from Rebecq explains his galleys of bills: “We realize that we will pay 5 times more than before our bills. And so what do we do? Do we increase the loaves by 10 to 20 cents? It is the supermarkets that will win in this story“.
“We are on our knees”
For Damian, and as for 10% of bakeries, the specter of closure is approaching. “If we have to close, we will close, that’s how it was… it was great for 3 years, but here it is…“, explains Damian, annoyed.
For his part, Jojo, from the La Grange bakery, in Ophain, has made his decision: he will close his doors. “With a bill of 106,000 euros per year, we don’t know how to follow, so we might as well stop. I’d rather do this than stick up to my neck, we’re on our knees“.
