With 13.6 million visitors City 2 is the most popular shopping mall in the land

City 2 in the Nieuwstraat welcomed no fewer than 13.6 million visitors last year. That is 800,000 more than in 2023, accounting for an increase of 6.2 per cent. This makes City 2 the shopping centre with the largest number of visitors in Belgium. ‘On average, 40,000 visitors a day flock to City 2, the equivalent of a sold-out King Boudewijn Stadium,’ says Sam Perneel, head of retail at owners AG Real Estate. The busiest day of the year was Saturday 30 November, the day after Black Friday, when 73,000 visitors walked into the City 2. ‘Pretty much 100 per cent of our spaces are active,’ Perneel says.

AG also owns the Westland Shopping in Anderlecht, which was renovated in late 2022. Already in 2023, Westland attracted 20 per cent more visitors. It recorded another increase last year – visitor numbers were up 17 per cent in 2024, resulting in a total visitor number of 6.4 million in 2024. ‘The figure was higher than the expected increase of 10 per cent,’ Perneel adds. ‘As a result, Westland was able to add some great brands including Mango, Lacoste, Basic Fit and the very successful New Yorker.’ End of year sales were particularly good, this after a more challenging summer. Westland is now 99 per cent let'.

Also part of AG Real Estate's portfolio is The Mint, a shopping centre on the 2 lower floors of the Mint Centre in central Brussels. It welcomed  7.9 million visitors last year, although it is difficult to separate customers who shop from passers-by who pass through the shopping, e.g. on their way to the metro. The figure represents an increase of 4 per cent.

In the north of Brussels, Docks recorded growth of 2.7 per cent: from 7.6 to 7.8 million visitors. ‘A nice evolution,’ says spokesperson Mathias Blot. ‘Docks has been around for eight years now and continues to progress steadily. Since the pandemic, Docks has been popular as a local place to shop and has built up a regular clientele. Thanks to leisure opportunities including the Lego centre, we also attract visitors from further afield, although more than 50 per cent come from Brussels itself.’ Cloths stores, as elsewhere, are doing less well, while hospitality, beauty and electronics are offsetting any losses there. Docks can also count on office rentals. ‘Through Regus, coworking spaces and meeting rooms will soon also be bookable,’ says Blot.

Basilix in Sint-Agatha-Berchem and Woluwe Shopping Centre in Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe did not provide figures. The latter shopping centre's expansion plans received a thumbs down from the Urban Planning Board in late 2023.