Today (Monday 1 July) marks the start of the month-long summer sales in shops across Belgium. Consumers can expect more stores to offer greater discounts in light of dropping sales figures.
The summer sales start on 1 July and last for one month. The period will likely see unusually high discounts. Excluding the Covid-19 years 2020 and 2021, Belgian clothing retailers have had their worst start to the year since 2011. Sales volume in April is expected to be the worst since 2008. In recent years, several Belgian shops and branches of international chains went bankrupt.
The union for the self-employed and SMEs' (UCM) annual survey of retailers showed that three in five retailers (59%) felt that their sales had dropped over the last six months – likely due to the poor weather in Belgium which has dissuaded people from hitting the high street. More than half of retailers surveyed (56.3%) said their stocks are higher than last year.
What to expect from the summer sales
Higher stocks will be beneficial for shoppers, however, as this will encourage retailers to offer unusually high discounts, the union noted.
"Three out of ten retailers said they were starting the sales at 50% off, while 43.7% are offering an initial 30% discount." Even before the sales period began, many independent retailers used legal commercial levers at their disposal, such as promotions, clearances, joint offers and other spring discounts to clear stocks.
Even bigger discounts could be offered from the second week of July, especially by smaller businesses, if sales are disappointing due to more bad weather.
Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
Every item on sale must mention the discount and a reference price (the lowest price displayed by the seller during the 30 days preceding the sale). The statutory two-year guarantee on an item is still in force, even if the price is discounted.
"If the item has a defect after 14 days, such as a broken zip, the seller cannot refuse to apply the guarantee because you bought it at a bargain price during the sales," consumer protection organisation Test Achats said. However, retailers can legally refuse to give a refund if the customer's reasoning is that they are not satisfied with the product. "If you do receive a refund, it is purely a commercial gesture by the shop in question, not a general rule."
The summer sales period officially ends on 31 July but other online discounts are still possible, more specifically on international e-commerce sites, which are exempt from the Belgian law on commercial practices. If a customer purchases an item online during the sales period, they have the right to return the item within 14 days, but may be charged shipping costs.
Calls for increased security
Aside from the bad weather, many retailers are convinced that rising levels of insecurity are negatively impacting their sales. According to the UCM survey, more than two out of five respondents (40.8%) argued that the level of insecurity in and around their establishment has increased over the last 12 months.
The reasons for this feeling of insecurity include drug dealing on the streets, verbal and physical attacks on passers-by and shopkeepers, the presence of people under the influence of drugs, homeless people and theft.
With local elections just around the corner (on 13 October), the union stressed that it is "vital that future local councillors realise the importance of retailers."
"As the economic backbone of an entity, retailers are certainly one of the business leaders most in touch with the reality on the streets. Making a city attractive must be a joint project for local authorities and retailers. The vision must be a collective one."
