Trade in Brussels: reconciling the urban with a sector undergoing reconfiguration
BSI’s briefing note
Abstract
In 2017, the Brussels-Capital Region 20 700 points of sale for goods and services, accounting for 87 % of the expenditure made by the inhabitants of Brussels. This retail trade provides about 9 % of regional employment. This synopsis reviews what is known about distribution in Brussels, an indispensable economic sector whose complexity makes it difficult to understand due to its diversity, and which is subject to profound changes in consumption, the urban environment and the internal organisation of the profession. After outlining the framework of the analysis by defining trade through its functions, forms and stakeholders, the authors draw up several observations associated with major dynamics in the sector (transformation of supply and demand and changes in public regulation in particular). The third part of the synopsis responds to these observations by identifying clear issues which, if taken into account by the sector and supported by public authorities, could reconcile trade with urban space.
Author’s notes (Fr)
La note de synthèse sur le commerce bruxellois a été rédigée en février 2020. Si les effets du confinement associé au Covid-19 ont été suivis attentivement par les auteurs durant le processus éditorial, ils ne disposaient toutefois pas, à l’heure de la parution, de données permettant d’évaluer les conséquences effectives des mesures de fermeture appliquées sur les commerces de biens et les services à caractère commercial. Une réévaluation post-crise de l’état du secteur, et en particulier des indépendants, aura évidemment toute sa pertinence, mais les constats structurels rassemblés ici contribueront, nous l’espérons, à mettre en place des politiques de relance pertinentes et bien ciblées.