Of helpline for SMEs in mental distress which opened in February, has been called about 8,000 times so far. Especially entrepreneurs in the retail sector and the catering industry who had encountered problems due to the corona measures have made use of it.
“The line is still called regularly, but it has been a lot quieter since the end of June,” says Frederique Biesheuvel on behalf of entrepreneurs’ association ONL, initiator of the emergency line. “Whether that is due to vacation or the end of the lockdown, we can better estimate after the summer.”
Due to the lockdown from mid-December, the pressure on entrepreneurs increased enormously. Organizations such as MKB Nederland and INretail, the trade association for retailers, received countless emails and phone calls from worried and sometimes desperate entrepreneurs who no longer knew where to look. Due to corona, income had fallen by 80 to 90 percent for some, while costs continued.
A special helpline for small and medium-sized enterprises was therefore set up. Twenty volunteers were on hand every day. “Sometimes a solution was sought, but often a listening ear was also extremely important,” says Biesheuvel.
‘Some referred to 113’
According to her, it was quite intense on certain days: “Our employees were on the phone all day. I found that shocking. Is this the tip of the iceberg? I know that many entrepreneurs are hesitant to call us, they are ashamed For the people who called us, the need was really very high. We even had to refer some to 113 suicide prevention.”
INretail, the organization for fashion, sports and home furnishings stores, also received many reports from entrepreneurs in need in the first months of this year. According to spokesperson Paul te Grotenhuis, a poll by the organization shows that the accumulated debt burden is particularly heavy. “That burden can rise to 30 to 40 percent of a regular annual turnover. This makes it clear that you are in debt for years. That is heavy.”
According to INretail, there are landlords who take a proactive approach when it comes to remission and discounts. “On the other hand, there are also companies that do not want to meet in any way and where parties meet in court.”
roll banks
According to the trade association, banks were also a lot less lenient than might be expected from parties who announced that they “wanted to be part of the solution” at the start of the corona crisis.
The Dutch Banking Association says in a response that the vast majority of credit applications are granted. “It is relevant that a loan can normally be repaid. If the calculation shows that it cannot be paid off, then it is a very bad message. No entrepreneur really benefits from debts that cannot be repaid.”
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