302 TRAVELLERS’ NEEDS
SHOPPING IN BELGIUM
B
elgians love to shop. They
use the French term for win-
dow shopping with good
reason: lécher les vitrines literally
means licking the windows. This
urge is satisfied by a host of excel-
lent shops in every town and city,
ranging from highly competitive
supermarkets to the most exclusive
boutiques. High streets remain
vibrant as Belgians enjoy the choice,
service and expertise of individual
traders. Merchandise of all kinds
is available and although it is not
cheap, wise shoppers will find it
can be good value for money.Rue Neuve, the longest pedestrian
shopping street in Brussels
OPENING HOURS
Shops are open between
10am and 6pm from Monday
to Saturday. Many open at 9am
and some stay open until 7 or
8pm, especially if they close
for an hour at lunchtime.
Food shops and supermarkets
have longer hours, from 9am
to 8pm. Most supermarkets
and shops close on Sundays,
although many pâtisseries are
open on Sunday mornings.
HOW TO PAYCash is the most readily
accepted means of payment.
Most market stalls will only
accept cash. However, smaller
enterprises are not keen on
the large-denomination notes,
which include the 200-euro
and the 500-euro notes. Most
high-street shops accept pay-
ment by credit or debit card.VAT REFUNDSThose who live outside the
EU can reclaim the Value
Added Tax (TVA in French,
BTW in Dutch) for any single
transaction to the value of
over 125 euros. VAT stands
at 21 per cent of the purchase
price. Shops that have a
Tax-free Shopping logo can
provide a Tax-free Shopping
Cheque on request (custom-
ers will need to show their
passport). The purchased
items and the documentation
are stamped at the airport
customs before check in,
after which the refund can
be collected at the Europe
Tax-free Shopping desk.
Detailed information is
available from the main VAT
refund agents Global Refund
and Premier Tax Free.Chic clothes
on displayGB brand), Cora, Colruyt and
Champion are the big super-
market chains. Roads leading
into towns may be lined with
large-scale commercial enter-
prises – car showrooms, hard-
ware superstores, garden
centres and fashion outlets.
The Maasmechelen “fashion
village” (see p168) is a pur-
pose-built, discount-driven
shoppers’ paradise.CLOTHES SIZESThe EU is in the process of
introducing a new set of stan-
dardized clothes sizes. At
present, however, there are
different sizing systems in
operation. Some manufactur-
ers even use “vanity sizes”,
marking larger clothes with
smaller sizes to flatter custom-
ers. The best advice is for
customers to get themselves
measured, and certainly to try
all clothes on in the shop.MARKETSTowns usually host markets
once or twice a week, often
in the main square. They sell
fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese
and local food products as
well as clothes, textiles, shoes,
household goods, flowers and
craft products. The largest mar-
ket, La Batte, is a sprawling,
mixed, Sunday market along
the northern bank of the River
Meuse in Liège. Many towns
also have regular or occasional
antique or flea markets (the
distinction is often blurred).
The largest of these is held on
Sunday mornings in Tongeren
(see p169). Christmas markets,
decorated with lights and sell-
ing all sorts of festive fare, are
held in December, from before
the Feast of St Nicolas on
6 December to 24 December.Shoppers thronging a display of
fresh wares at a town marketWHERE TO SHOP
Most towns are built around
a central square – the Grand
Place or Grote Markt – which
used to be the focus of trade,
guilds and the town adminis-
tration in medieval times.
Today, these squares have
weekly markets and many of
the best shops. Larger towns
and cities have pedestrianized
shopping streets or covered
malls at their centre. Large
supermarkets selling clothes,
electrical goods, hardware and
CDs tend to be on the out-
skirts, where they can provide
parking. Delhaize, Carrefour
(which now also owns the