“Dutch stores too should keep doors closed”

“Keep the doors closed when the air conditioning or heating is on.” That is what the Dutch trade organisation Inretail is asking all retailers to do. The organisation advocates a uniform rule and says it will not deter customers.

Reduce energy consumption

To save energy, all shops should keep their doors closed: this reduces energy consumption when the air conditioning is on in summer or the heating in winter. Dutch trade association Inretail calls on retailers to join the effort: “If you as a retailer keep your door open, then you have something to explain to society“, director Jan Meerman told public broadcaster NOS.

The organisation is launching a campaign to ensure that a closed door becomes the norm. Although Inretail itself represents non-food retail and not the food sector, Meerman hopes that supermarkets and food shops will also participate. “We do not want one shop to close its door and another to keep it open. It would be good if there were a uniform policy”, he says.

Retailers are taking the step not only for the sake of the environment, but also because of cost considerations. The sector representative says that retailers are already doing everything possible to reduce their energy bills. Shop owners can also do more, for example by investing in insulation. These are investments that the government should encourage more, Inretail claims.

“Customers appreciate it”

The municipality of Wageningen has been advising shops to work with closed doors since 2018. Consumers quickly got used to it and did not stay away because of it, centre manager Robert Frijlink explains. “It takes a few weeks to get used to it, then the customer appreciates it.”

The Dutch are (partly) following France’s example: that country made it compulsory to keep the doors closed when the air conditioning or heating was on. Fines of up to 600 euros can be handed out to all those in breach of the new rules. The French supermarkets themselves have decided to turn down the heating and switch off the lights before and after closing time. In Belgium, such measures are not yet on the agenda, sector organisation Comeos claims.