Renting a shop on the Meir costs almost 12 times more than on Boomsesteenweg (Antwerp)
Anyone who buys a retail property at an annual cost of 1,550 euros per square meter. This is the conclusion of a study by international real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield. In a concise ‘City Guide 2022’ it bundles some figures and figures about Antwerp retail.
Marnix Int Panis
Antwerp is “a fashion center” and “a city where retail is ingrained”, writes the online guide. But running your own business comes with a price tag, especially on the Meir. There, the annual rent for a square meter of retail space is ten times higher than on Bredabaan (155 euros) and almost twelve times higher than on Boomseweg (135 euros).
De Meir, good for more than 1.4 million visitors a month, remains the most expensive shopping street in the country, together with Rue Neuve in Brussels. It is also striking that Huidevettersstraat with its luxury shops is quickly a third cheaper (1,000 euros). Cushman & Wakefield expects that the rents in the high street will still be in 2023.
15,000 hotel beds
Retail also attracts a lot of tourists to Antwerp, about 18 million a year. To accommodate this, a total of more than 15,000 beds are available in hotels and B&Bs. According to Cushman & Wakefield, the tourist success also has to do with recent urban renewal projects, such as the renovation of the City Hall and the redevelopment of Opera Square.