Despite extensive renovation work, Wijnegem Shopping Center, Belgium’s largest indoor shopping center, saw visitor numbers rise again in 2025, for the fifth year in a row.
No vacancies
The shopping center, covering 61,900 m² and housing 250 stores, welcomed nearly 7.8 million visitors last year: a slight increase compared to the 7.7 million visitors in 2024, a year with a lot of rainy weather, which is favorable for indoor shopping centers. Compared to five years ago, there were 1.8 million more shoppers, the shopping center reported to Gazet Van Antwerpen.
This is remarkable, because last year the shopping center underwent the biggest makeover in its 32-year history, with the floor being replaced, as well as the rest of the interior: the benches, the information desk, the toilets, the lockers, the signage… Despite the obvious inconvenience, Wijnegem Shopping did not see a decline in visitor numbers.
The shopping center has no structural vacancy. Despite a few bankruptcies – including Claire’s and Casa – Wijnegem Shopping continues to attract new retailers. Later this year, the shopping center will welcome newcomers Have A Roll, Extensionelle, and My Jewellery.
