Customers demonstrate against Delhaize shop closure in Schaerbeek

Around 250 customers and supporters of the Delhaize Verhaeren store in Schaerbeek demonstrated against its planned closure on Saturday evening. The shop is one of 14 stores nationwide selected for closure under a recently announced restructuring plan that will also see 2,500 staff redundancies.

According to ‘Delhaize Verhaeren’ organising committee spokesperson Paula Bouffioux, the demonstrators gathered at Delhaize Verhaeren to express their unhappiness at its closure and to call the restructuring plan into question. Members of the group took turns to answer the questions: ‘What does Delhaize Verhaeren represent for you?’ and ‘What would its closure mean to you?’

They also sent a letter to Denis Knoops, the CEO of Delhaize, asking why he wanted to close their Delhaize store and what problems had he identified specifically at the store. They also wanted to know what he would be proposing to offer to all the staff he would be laying off, if Delhaize pays its taxes and if so, how much. They went on to ask for a copy of the supermarket chain’s annual reports and Delhaize’s audit report from December 31 2013.

“Delhaize Verhaeren and its staff have been put on a closures and redundancies black list. Loyal and satisfied customers of this Delhaize store are not happy and are joining forces to take action. Delhaize Verhaeren has been in this neighbourhood since 1966 and it’s part of the social fabric….Why is the CEO of Dehaize punishing his loyal customers as well? said Bouffioux.