Belgian retail growth has reached a growth of around 1% in 2011, 1.1% in 2012, before seeing an -0.5% contraction in 2013, and in 2014, again, grew with 1.1%, consultancy.uk reports. However, the number of retail stores has been decreasing in recent years, with smaller stores in particular being closed in exchange for larger mega-stores in large cities, according to ‘Belgian Retail Stores Under Pressure’ study, conducted by Sia Partners, a consulting firm, the source cites.
On the other hand, the Belgian ecommerce growth rates hit 25% in 2011, before jumping 38% in 2012. Subsequent years have seen declines in the rate of growth to 26% in 2013 and 14% in 2014. As a result of the rapid growth, 6 million Belgian ‘e-shoppers’ currently spend between EUR 700 and EUR 1.000 each per year.
Food & personal care grew the least in 2013 at between 0% and 5%, with between 10% and 15% growth expected to 2025. Clothing saw growth of between 10% and 15% in 2013, with between 35% and 30% growth projected to 2025. The largest growth categories for ecommerce are books, which will see growth of between 85% and 90% by 2025, and entertainment, which will see growth of between 90% and 95% by 2025.
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