This Wednesday evening, a special RTL info edition starts at 7:40 p.m.: Belgians in the face of the crisis – How to get out of it?
On the set, there will be Grégory, (former) butcher in Quiévrain (Hainaut). Last Saturday, he closed the doors of his establishment for the last time.
With his wife, they opened more than 20 years ago. She has been on burnout for a few months, exhausted because they worked up to 3 p.m. a day, 7 days a week during the Covid period. The rise in energy bills and the price of raw materials which continues to rise, is the last straw.
“I have 4 fridges, a gas cooker. I have a monthly bill of €850, and apparently it will triple, so that would be almost €3,000. Plus the house, the price of which will go up to €1,500. So at a moment, it’s stop, it’s like that”, he told us. In a few months, he was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his business.
50% fewer customers…
And that’s not all: Gregory lost 50% of his clientele during the covid-19 crisis, and the situation is not improving. In recent months, it has been forced to revise its prices upwards in response to those of raw materials which continue to increase.
This butcher was nevertheless appreciated in the region. The closure is surprising. Regulars are worried. Some have been buying their meat here for over 20 years.
“We’re going to take the bull by the horns and we’re going to bounce back, we’re not going to let go,” concludes the butcher, however, who should find work, the trade having been in short supply for several years.
In the first week of October alone, 200 bankruptcies were recorded. They resulted in the loss of more than 400 jobs.
