By Olivier Acuña Barba •
Printed: 31 Jul 2025 • 20:38
• 2 minutes learn
Belgian retailers complain of unfair practices by on-line platforms that promote low cost “Chinese language junk” | Credit score: Artography/Shutterstock
On-line platforms are rising quick, and the competitors they characterize is turning into more and more unsustainable for high-street retailers in Belgium, notably from ultra-low-cost Chinese language platforms, Shein and Temu, in keeping with a information report.
Belgian retailers have expressed dissenting opinions concerning gross sales thus far this summer time season, Belga Information Company wrote.
The summer time gross sales run yearly your entire month of July. Belgian retailers are allowed to supply large reductions all through the 31 days that they don’t seem to be usually permitted to do the remainder of the 12 months.
A survey by enterprise federation Unizo and Mode Unie printed on Thursday confirmed that 44.3 per cent of trend retailers reported decrease gross sales in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months. As compared, 24.3 per cent bought the identical and 31.4 per cent bought extra.
Malaise describes July’s gross sales
“The gross sales acquired off to a sluggish begin because of the heatwave within the first week, however then acquired a big increase,” Mode Unie director Isolde Delangheshe stated. “Gross sales additionally remained secure over the past two weeks, permitting many retailers to recoup the decrease gross sales from the primary week.”
In line with Mode Unie, Belgians are nonetheless very a lot “gross sales customers,” with many trying ahead to bargain-hunting throughout this era.
NSZ differs. “For retailers, one phrase sums up this month: malaise,” the organisation stated. It argues that conventional pleasure across the gross sales is waning.
“As a result of fixed reductions from sure giant chains and on-line platforms, it’s turning into more and more tough for shoppers to visualise the suitable value,” stated NSZ spokesperson Cedric Tack. “The idea of a ‘truthful value’ is fading, which is detrimental to retailers who can not afford to supply year-round reductions.”
‘Chinese language junk’ is one other difficulty
Mode Unie additionally raised concern over what it calls unfair competitors from digital giants. “The truth that the federal government is doing nothing to cease the unfair market practices of on-line giants is meaningless to trend retailers and is making them despondent,” stated Delanghe. “Such platforms provide no added worth to our society, and so they saddle us with a mountain of Chinese language junk,” Delanghe stated, referring to Shein and Temu.
“We should act swiftly and decisively to revive and keep truthful competitors between companies,” Delanghe stated. “It’s unacceptable that Chinese language on-line shops and main worldwide gamers aren’t complying with our laws and are encouraging overconsumption via deceptive gross sales techniques.”
Mode Unie referred to as on authorities to put in force stricter controls to make sure Belgian retailers are not deprived by what it calls “unfair digital market practices.”
Not in favour of commerce boundaries
Nonetheless, the minister for small companies, the self-employed and SMEs, Eléonore Simonet (MR), instructed Belga that “as a liberal, she shouldn’t be in favour of commerce boundaries,” though acknowledging that the inflow of Chinese language parcels is “disruptive” for truthful competitors, client safety and environmental influence.
However it goes past the problems Chinese language platforms characterize. NSZ stated that different issues driving shoppers away are elevated parking fares and mobility issues in metropolis centres.