‘Shopping in Antwerp, the Netherlands to the buttons.’ The text on a banner above the viaduct over the A4 at Hoogerheide leaves little to the imagination. The patience of Niels van Elzakker, who has owned a Primera business in Hoogerheide for thirty years, is tested during this period. “Retailers and catering industry are always at a loss, while that is where there are the least infections. Out of frustration I wanted to send a signal with the banner.”
The entrepreneur stands up for his fellow shopkeepers and people with catering businesses with his banner. “As individuals, we are only busy with our own shop, café or restaurant. You don’t have time to join forces for an action. My shop can still be open halfway before the post. You can’t do much in the catering industry. “
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All the greater is Niels’ frustration that the Dutch are moving to Belgium to do their shopping. “In Belgium you can walk over the heads, the shops are packed. Is this what we all want? Is this about solving a healthcare crisis?”
Nevertheless, Niels believes that the consumer cannot be blamed. “He is happy that he can take a break. But this is a slap in the face for the catering industry and it is disastrous for many retailers.”
The timing of the corona measures is also bothering Niels. “For the second year in a row, we went into a lockdown shortly before Christmas. That is almost criminal. For entrepreneurs, it is the busiest time of the year with a lot of turnover. I know people with a fashion store who are adjusting their collection for the second year. can’t get rid of the paving stones anymore. That one week before Christmas doesn’t matter, then we will go into lockdown in January.”
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After noises about a possible extension of the lockdown, the entrepreneur took action. “Then I made and hung the banner. Just as a signal. Soon one entrepreneur after another will fall over. To keep a village or city liveable, you need shops and catering. Rijkswaterstaat will remove the banner, but then he hung out there for a weekend.”
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