This Monday afternoon, the Dumont bakery in Vencimont (Gedinne), which closed shop due to unpayable energy bills, had still not received any news from its supplier Luminus.
➜ Verviers, La Louvière, Fosses, Hornu… Many bakeries are closing everywhere in Wallonia.
“At RTBF, to look good perhaps, the CEO of Luminus had hinted that there was surely an error on our bill and that the service with which I was in contact at home was not the better able to answer,” says Pascale Dumont, the baker. “But since then, I haven’t had any other news from Luminus and the amounts claimed from me, which I have again checked, are indeed those that I announced”.
➜ Walloon Minister Willy Borsus (MR) is preparing a bonus for them. For them, and for other professions.
Unless otherwise ordered by Luminus, which does not arrive, the increase in the monthly bill for this Namur bakery is dizzying. It went from €1,250 in 2021, to €1,860 in January 2022 and to… €11,836 in September 2022. “This amount of €11,836 will have to be paid 4 times (in September, October, November and December). Then, our monthly bill for 2023 will increase to €8,000”, specifies Pascale Dumont. Which will bring a total bill for 2023 to €96,000. “But paying the current €11,836, we are no longer capable of it. Reason why we stop! »
Serial closures of bakeries: Willy Borsus’ plan to save them!