In this first quarter of the year, Héloise Richard is asking herself many questions about the future of her 100% Belgian designer boutiques, which have been established in Namur for 8 years and in Dinant since 2022: “Every day I feel like crying. In recent weeks, we have witnessed a slaughter of shops comparable to mine which decide to put the key under the doormat or which, in the least worst case, are looking for buyers”.
Since the transition to the new year and often following the financial analysis of the last few weeks, many concept stores that have been in place for many years have suddenly closed their doors almost everywhere in Wallonia and Brussels. This is the case of the “Kriekebiche” store in Schaerbeek at the end of January, “Showcase of Belgian designers” in Tournai, “Kolibrikids store” in Brussels or “Bel Arte” in Brussels, which is still looking for a buyer.
Against all odds, L’Empreinte Belge – Héloïse Richard’s shop – survives, but the entrepreneur has many questions about her future. “The crisis is widespread in all sectors, but for well-established stores like ours, what conclusion should we draw? We can reinvent ourselves, diversify, optimize everything we can… but until when “Energy costs have increased insanely and everyone’s purchasing power has been reduced. Today, I don’t have the strength or the courage to stop, I can’t bring myself to do it but how long will I last?
One of the employees of the Brussels confectionery Papabubble shares this concern on a massively relayed Facebook post.