Commerce: Hub.brussels closes 14 offices, 13.5% vacancy, regional austerity

Regional austerity: closures in commerce and tourism

The government's announced budget effort (~€1bn over the legislature) is materialising through several decisions directly affecting the commercial and tourism fabric:

• Hub.brussels: the government decided on 17 April 2026 to close 14 of 33 offices (proximity branches). The body remains active but loses nearly half of its territorial presence.
• Visit.brussels: closure of the Place Royale tourist desk (Brussels Info Place / Koningsplein), announced on 20 April 2026. The Grand-Place desk remains. Agency budget: €22M → €16.3M, i.e. −26%.
• BD Comic Strip Festival 2026 cancelled (March 2026) — consequence of the Visit.brussels cuts.
• Iris Festival scaled back — same budget context.

Sources: BRUZZ Economy (20 April 2026); BGM culture dossier / RPD memory.

Vacancy: 13.5%, centre-periphery gradient

According to hub.brussels:

Horeca represents only 6% of SMEs but 17% of bankruptcies — nearly 3× its share of the economy (see sector card horeca).

Source: BX1; hub.brussels.

Brussels offices: worst quarter in 25 years (signal, to be confirmed)

Trends-Tendances reports on 24 April 2026 that Brussels offices have closed their worst quarter in 25 years (Q1 2026). The article is paywalled, so precise figures (vacancy rate, leased area) are not yet accessible. To be cross-checked against a primary JLL/Cushman/CBRE report before final integration.

Source: Trends-Tendances (24 April 2026).

Pentagon begging regulation (Brussels-City, 20 April 2026)

The City of Brussels Municipal Council adopted on 20 April 2026 a regulation banning begging with children under 16 in the Pentagon, Place Louise and Avenue Louise (fines up to €500), and "aggressive, insistent, intimidating" begging across the City for 2 years. Impact on the Pentagon's commercial atmosphere to be tracked.

Source: La Libre (20 April 2026).

Coalition agreement measures favourable to proximity commerce

• PIT cut by 1% and rise in the deduction ceiling (€600,000 → €800,000) — indirect support to residential attractiveness, hence proximity commerce
• LEZ with €350 annual pass (social €200) — predictable cost for traders using non-compliant vehicles
• Bollards removed — easing of mobility conflicts in some commercial zones
• Renolution premiums replaced by zero-interest loans — impact to be measured on traders renovating their premises

Dutch-language support for commerce (UNIZO Brussel)

The Dutch-language entrepreneurs' network is structured around UNIZO Brussel and its local chapter Brussel19:

• Coaching: retail experts (windows, layout), individual coaching (management, e-commerce), regulatory workshops
• Advocacy: KRACHTWERK memorandum (2024, 80 recommendations)
• 2024 figures: 45% of Brussels entrepreneurs consider leaving the Region; 1,900+ bankruptcies (UNIZO/UCM/Graydon)

hub.brussels (formerly Atrium, merged in 2018) is trilingual (FR/NL/EN). The hub.info service (free number 1819) is available in Dutch. Commerce is a regional competence, not a community one.

Source: UNIZO Brussel; BRUZZ, "UNIZO: behoud lokale handelszaken" (February 2024).