At the start of 2025, distribution in Belgium looks like a battlefield. Here, every square meter of commercial space is snatched away through fierce strategies.
For what ? Because the margins are ridiculous, often barely 1%. Suffice to say that there is not room for everyone. In this game, there is only one rule: take market share or disappear. Simple, direct, brutal.
And it shows. Watch the latest twist: Louis Delhaize, the Belgian group, goes under the Dutch flag with its takeover by Delhaize. 325 stores that change hands in the blink of an eye. Result ? Colruyt becomes the last Belgian bulwark in the face of globalization which advances like a steamroller.
But why all the fuss? Because the battle is fought on the ground, literally. Every store opened, every average basket taken from a competitor, every strategic location is a weapon in this economic war. And all this converges towards a clear objective: to seduce the consumer, to make them captive, and above all, to make them spend.
Goodbye hypermarkets, hello proximity
Hypermarkets? Has-been. These temples of giant consumerism are over. Today, we want something practical, something quick, something local. Local stores, below 400 m², are taking over. Their promise? Being close to you, simple and accessible. But don’t be fooled: behind this reassuring facade, it’s not the local grocer who decides. These are multinationals, armed with data and algorithms, who pull the strings from their headquarters far from your neighborhood.
The acquisition of Louis Delhaize by Delhaize is just one example among others. By acquiring these 325 stores, Delhaize is strengthening its position and playing the card of efficiency and economies of scale. The message is clear: national distributors are over. Only transnational giants have the weapons to survive in this merciless game.
The consumer: caught in the trap
And the consumer in all this? He doesn’t see anything. He is seduced by a store “near home”, fast service, a well thought-out assortment. What he doesn’t know is that behind this window lies a relentless machine, where everything is optimized to maximize profits.
2025 will be a pivotal year for Belgian distribution. A year where the national identity of the sector continues to fade, where proximity takes on the air of well-established marketing, and where the battle for market share intensifies. Colruyt, the only 100% Belgian player, becomes the last of the Mohicans. But for how much longer?
In conclusion, this economic war leaves only one certainty: for distributors, it is necessary to grow or die. And for consumers? The illusion of caring proximity will perhaps be enough to reassure them… but at what cost?
