The market for reception and concierge services - Belgium

1.1 Definition and scope of the study

Reception services and building concierge services refer to all the services provided to visitors and residents of a building. The market can be divided into several segments:

• The concierge service for residential buildings: which takes the form of a guard in charge of the surveillance and maintenance of the building. Concierge services are sometimes provided by more premium companies, which offer additional services.
• Office building reception services: often outsourced to a company in the context of shared offices or directly entrusted to a member of the company.
• Hotel concierge services: services often included in the hotel's services.

The study focuses on the first two segments, which are activities in their own right.

Global urbanization is the primary driver of market growth. Nevertheless, Belgium, despite having a very high urbanization rate, stands out for the preponderance of single-family homes rather than shared buildings. The market for reception services must therefore primarily rely on the growing demand for office buildings. The sense of insecurity is also a growth driver for the sector; since reception and concierge services, while welcoming and guiding visitors, are also used to monitor entrances and exits of the building.

The building concierge market is now undergoing many changes and evolving to meet a multifaceted demand. The rise of Airbnb in the major Belgian cities is creating new problems in terms of apartment management and building security. The digitalization, affecting more and more sectors, is also interested in the problems of concierge services; and more and more companies are proposing 100% digital solutions to ensure the reception and security of buildings.

1.2 The global market

The global market for building reception and concierge services is driven by the premiumization of services offered in office and residential buildings in the world's largest cities. From New York to Melbourne, via London, Paris and Frankfurt, reception and concierge services are taking their place at the entrance of buildings. As ...

1.3 The domestic market

It is very difficult to estimate the overall market for reception and janitorial services in Belgium. Nevertheless, by looking at code **.* Combined support activities for buildings, we can obtain a rather reliable approximation of the market. The companies registered under code **.* are those offering the following services in buildings: routine interior ...

2.1 Urbanization, the primary driver of demand

In ****, without taking into account the state cities or islands, Belgium was the *th most urbanized country in the world behind Kuwait, China and Qatar[***].

Urban population in Belgium Belgium, **** - ****, in % of population Source: ****

A large majority of Belgians live in houses, rather than in shared buildings. In fact, in ...

2.2 Security and well-being, the two raisons d'être of the concierge market

Residents in constant search of security

One of the reasons for the development of concierge services in apartment buildings is the search for greater security. Indeed, the primary role of the building janitor is to monitor the entrances and exits of the building. However, the feeling of insecurity is on the ...

2.3 Premiumization and diversification of demand

Deserted office buildings

The office real estate market is going through a period of instability in Belgium, as companies are still defining their hybrid strategies. Brussels is by far the region with the highest concentration of office buildings (***). By ****, take-up has decreased by **% in Belgium. This phenomenon is explained by the ...

3.1 A fragmented market

The market for reception and janitorial services is fragmented and includes many players, ranging from independent building janitors to specialized BtoB companies.

An ancestral profession

The building janitor's job appeared as early as the Middle Ages, and was then similar to the function of knight, whose role was to protect the ...

3.2 Value Chain

3.3 Companies in the market

We can identify several types of companies present on the market of reception and concierge services in Belgium.

Companies specialized in residential and/or corporate concierge services: Custom services, Welcome at work, Concierges Brussels, HM & FS, BM Conciergerie, Protexys services, Savviva... Event management companies offering concierge services such as DDM Prestige. ...

4.1 Type of offer: various services

If the concierge is above all a privileged interlocutor in the building, the reception and concierge services are multiple. They depend first of all on the clientele to be addressed. For office buildings, it is mainly a matter of welcoming visitors and orienting them in the building. The receptionists are also ...

4.2 The development of concierge services for Airbnb

The Airbnb craze in the major Belgian cities

The development of Airbnb in the major Belgian cities is growing rapidly. Indeed, more and more local owners are making their properties available on the platform. The number of new hosts in Belgium has doubled between the second quarter of **** and ****[***].

The different ...

4.3 Digitalized reception and concierge services

As for many other sectors, the trend is towards digital concierge services. Thus, more and more companies are offering ***% digital services for the reception of individuals in buildings. These new offers are aimed at the same clientele as the "physical" service companies, but the offer is necessarily more limited.

4.4 Private concierge services, new competition

The services offered within buildings are competing with private concierge services, which allow individuals to delegate everyday tasks. These concierges take the form of personal assistants, available on an as-needed basis to perform a multitude of activities: from making appointments to childcare. The private concierge offers similar services to premium concierge ...

5.1 National regulations

Regulations concerning the building janitor profession

Building janitors are grouped together in the Joint Committee for Building Management, Real Estate Agents and Domestic Workers (***).

Working hours

The working time for a full-time employee is fixed at ** hours per week. All working hours must be stated in the work regulations. Under certain ...

5.2 Regional regulations

Brussels

The regulations concerning the janitors of schools and extracurricular establishments vary from one municipality to another and are established by municipal decrees.

Wallonia

A decree of the Executive fixes the rules concerning janitor services for buildings belonging to the Walloon region or rented by it and assigned to its services: ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Custom services
• Welcome at work
• Le Concierge de Bruxelles
• HM & FS
• BM Conciergerie
• Protexys services
• Savviva
• Optimalis
• Bringme
• EasyDay
• Teleportel