More flexible opening hours in Belgium: open until 9 p.m. and no designated closing day

The Belgian federal government is relaxing the rules on store opening hours and scrapping the mandatory weekly closing day. Although there is still one final hurdle to overcome…

Parliament is the final stop

From now on, stores may remain open until 9 p.m. every day, whereas until now this was generally limited to 8 p.m. and only until 9 p.m. on Fridays. There is also no longer a mandatory closing day. At least, not once Parliament gives the green light. Approval was already granted by the Council of Ministers on Thursday, but now Minister for Small Businesses Eléonore Simonet hopes that Parliament will also give its approval (before the summer).

The reform stems from the coalition agreement, in which the federal government labeled the existing regulations as outdated. According to Simonet, current legislation no longer aligns with consumer behavior. By granting stores longer opening hours, she aims to strengthen the competitive position of physical stores and better equip them to compete with the flexibility of e-commerce.

Small retailers fear rising costs

However, the trade association Buurtsuper.be has responded critically, calling the measure counterproductive. According to spokesperson Luc Ardies, extending opening hours will not lead to increased consumption, but only to a shift—with higher (labor) costs. He fears for the profitability of supermarkets. Even Aldi announced plans yesterday to open on Sundays.

The Neutral Union for the Self-Employed (NSZ) also warns of a negative impact on smaller businesses. The organization calls it a “poisoned gift” that primarily benefits large chains, while the self-employed face longer working hours and higher labor costs.

Freedom for entrepreneurs, according to the government

Minister Simonet qualifies the criticism and emphasizes that the measure does not entail an obligation. Retailers retain the freedom to set their own opening hours, she explains to VRT News: “Even now, not all stores take advantage of the option to stay open until 8 p.m. For them, nothing changes; they can still close at 6 p.m.”

According to the minister, the reform is primarily aimed at retailers who currently face a competitive disadvantage compared to foreign stores and online platforms. The Council of State raised no substantive objections to the proposal.