Brussels abandons Afterwork Shopping initiative

Atrium, the Brussels Capital-Region’s commercial agency, is cancelling its Afterwork Shopping campaign, which saw many shops open until 20.00 on Thursdays. The number of customers decreased, the agency said, which led many shops to drop out of the programme. That, in turn, caused an even bigger drop in customers.

Atrium is charged with stimulating consumer trade in the capital. Other projects include design students dressing up shop windows in Saint-Josse/Sint-Joost, the pop-up store Artisans in Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis and Jette and a campaign to freshen up more than 100 shop fronts in the city.

Evening shopping on Thursdays is a long tradition in the Netherlands and was introduced by Atrium in 2010 in the Dansaert (pictured), Grand Place/Grote Markt, Marché aux poissons/Vismarkt and Rue Neuve/Nieuwstraat areas of central Brussels.

Although Atrium “promote Afterwork Shopping vigorously,” said the agency’s Erik Baptist of Atrium, customers don’t seem to be “familiar with the concept. It takes quite a change in mentality. It was difficult to convince shopkeepers. And once there’s a drop in what’s on offer, you enter into a vicious spiral.”

Some shops in the neighbourhoods said they will continue to remain open later on Thursday evenings.

photo by Sofie Coreynen/VisitFlanders