Le bar à chats, est-ce viable en Belgique?

Abstract

Nowadays, the animals have become full members of the family. In response to the emergence of this sentimental bond, the market has grown to provide more and more goods and services in order to improve the quality of life for both animals and owners. However, the trade around animals is much larger than that, we also find animals in physical and audiovisual entertainment, in advocacy organizations, etcetera. This cult of the animal shaped commerce and created a different kind of establishment; cats coffee. This thesis aims at determining the viability of the cats coffee and barriers to market entry in Belgium. We will first clarify the notion of business model, the different types of existing business models, their evolution, as well as the different tools put in place to analyze them. This will serve as a theoretical basis for the next part of this thesis. Then, we will establish and analyze the business model of a specific case, the Merlix Cats Café. We will also focus on the economic viability of this type of establishment in Belgium through the analysis of the balance sheet and we will compare it to the adequacy report. Finally, we will focus on barriers to market entry in Belgium. A study will be carried out by interviewing a series of owners of Belgian cats coffees in order to shed light on these. In addition, the main barriers will be further explored by contacting the organizations concerned to determine their scope. As a conclusion, nothing stands in the way of the arrival of this type of establishment. However, we cannot say for sure that the cat bar concept is viable in the long term in Belgium. Indeed, it remains very recent. We will therefore give them time to prove themselves.