is one of seven sites threatened with closure A year after selling its shops in Luxembourg to Leclerc Cora has announced the closure of its seven hypermarkets in Belgium by 2026 The group is citing a business model in crisis Louis Delhaize Group is announcing a new strategic turn Cora plans to close its seven hypermarkets in Belgium by early 2026 a decision that directly threatens 1,779 jobs Cora’s management cites a spate of difficulties: eroding purchasing power competitive pressure from foreign chains and the decline of the hypermarket model “The financial outlook for 2025 and 2026 did not allow us to go any further as the net loss would then have been close to €90m over these two years,” says Olivier Haller “We wanted to avoid a disaster scenario like bankruptcy at all costs.” In 2024 the chain had already posted a loss of €24m While the group has sounded out potential buyers with the possible exception of the La Louvière site for which a local interest has been mooted will be sold to the property company Mitiska Reim “This project aims to renovate the spaces currently occupied by Cora and to subdivide them into smaller units for letting,” says the company “It will enable the shopping centres to continue their activities and preserve direct and indirect employment in the catchment areas.” The announcement sent shockwaves through Wallonia with enormous social repercussions,” in the words of Walloon employment minister Pierre-Yves Jeholet on X Jeholet will meet Cora’s CEO in Namur “to assess the situation and prospects for the staff and each of the seven business sites,” according to Belgian news agency Belga “We want to face up to our responsibilities and encourage the re-employment of our employees,” Haller said ahead of the meeting Four in the top fiveSeveral municipalities close to Luxembourg come out on top. Behind Attert, Belgian Luxembourg stands out more generally. One example is Messancy at roughly €37,200, which has climbed to the second step of the podium, albeit nearly €5,000 from the leader. Behind them, also in the top ten, are the communes of Etalle, 4th at close to €35,00, Saint-Léger, 5th at just over €34,900, Arlon, 6th with around €34,900 and Habay, finishing off the top ten with around €34,100. These municipalities are all home to a high proportion of cross-border workers. Josy Arens, the former mayor of Attert, regularly refers to the fact that 60% of the working population of Attert has a job in the Grand Duchy. The mayor of Arlon, Vincent Magnus, sometimes even speaks of a rate of 70%. The influence of neighbouring Luxembourg is undeniable - both positively, with high incomes, and more negatively. For example, the housing situation in the province of Luxembourg is similarly tight as that in Luxembourg in many respects. The net median income in other border municipalities was as follows: Brug-Reuland (€32,455) in the province of Liège Stadbel bases its ranking on “administrative equivalent disposable income” of each municipality in the country This data is considered to be a reliable indicator of household income that takes into account all income (salary etc) from which taxes and social security contributions are deducted It is then weighted according to the size of the household and the age of its members According to the Belgian statistical office this is a way of assessing the income actually available to citizens as closely as possible (This article first appeared in Virgule. Translation and editing by Alex Stevensson.) Weekend AwayThree perfect getaways in the Belgian ArdennesRead our itineraries for a weekend in La Roche-en-Ardennes, Celles, and Marche-en-Famenne, all less than 90 minutes from Luxembourg City Alcohol smugglingCross-border alcohol smuggler jailed and fined €30,000Motorist stopped on Belgian motorway with nearly 400 litres of cheap liquor from Luxembourg, on which he had not paid customs duties Cross-border cooperationExplainerLuxembourg, Belgium agree cross-border development planFive health, mobility and tourism projects aim to help people on both sides of the border Living What to consider if you’re moving across the borderLooking to move across the border to avoid high house prices? You should know how this affects your entitlements and tax status Until JulyBelgium braces for spate of train strikes lasting into summerRotating strikes are planned from March to July, with a nationwide general strike scheduled for 31 March ConflictBelgium sees growing pressure for sanctions on Rwanda over warBelgium is reviewing an aid package to Rwanda and planning to suspend part of it Cross-border travelBelgian commuters set for further disruption with week-long rail strikeLatest industrial action is planned to run from Friday at 22:00 until 2 March Holiday ideas Day trip destinations just one hour from LuxembourgFancy a short jaunt into Belgium, Germany or France? Here are some fun destinations about an hour's drive from the capital Advertiser contentTreat yourself to a stress-free holidayDreaming of a worry-free trip What if the secret to a smooth getaway was simply good preparation and the right protection Advertiser contentReal estate: Why should you take advantage of the start of 2025 to begin your real estate project?The main things we remember about the housing sector over the past 12 months are the rise in interest rates and the fall in property prices Advertiser contentProperty: I've decided to invest!The various forms of government support for investment Advertiser contentThe Luxembourg Times BusinessRun is happening again on 18th September!On Thursday 18th September with the starting gun of the 11th Luxembourg Times BusinessRun fired at the Coque at 7 pm Share this with instagramSections I'm increasingly amazed by the abundance of family-friendly offerings in and around Luxembourg I'm certain you'll share my excitement when you learn about the latest developments and the wonderful opportunities that await you in the upcoming sunny days there's the chance to rediscover some of the already known delights After their success in Waterloo, near Brussels, Komini opened a new playroom in Messancy right across the Belgian boarder You'll enter through the same doors as Kojump inside the Cora Messancy Shopping Center It is intended for children from ages 2 to 10 It's a great place to organise birthday parties and it'll be open on Ascension day It's located on Route d'Arlon 220 B-6780 Messancy A new playground in Sennigerberg is opening on 22 May 2023. The exact location can be found here. The playground in Steinfort next to the primary school has been renovated and now includes more features This revamped playground promises to provide hours of joy and entertainment for your children An additional advantage is the ample parking spots available in close proximity to the playground It's located at 16-18 Rue de Kleinbettingen, L-8436 Steinfort, and you find more information on the Facebook page of the commune Another great playground will be inaugurated on 20 May at 2pm, in Helmsange. The Facebook event can be found here with all the details the commune will be giving out free ice cream and popcorn The construction of the largest play castle in Europe located in Reuver Children will be thrilled to explore this magnificent castle with the dragon being a particular highlight they are sure to love the address of the castle is: Drakenrijkstraat Find out more information about the opening on their Facebook page You can even watch a video showcasing the construction process of this remarkable castle a captivating one-day festival inspired by ancient mythologies will unfold at the Amphitheater "Breechkaul" near Echternach Visitors will be able to dive deep into the rich heritage of Greek visitors can expect epic games for children great musical performances from all over the world a divine electronic set and awe-inspiring surprises that will leave you breathless You can find more information on their website Every year, this event promises to attract big crowds. This year it'll take place on 7 and 8 July 2023 with the full programme announced on 1 June. Ticket sale will start on 12 June and you can find more details on their website Located approximately an hour away from Luxembourg this recently constructed playground offers a delightful addition—an outdoor swimming pool The town of Riegelsberg is conveniently situated near the World Heritage Site of "Volklinger Hutte," making it possible to combine both destinations for a memorable day trip This is an amazing light and sound show that takes place at the Castle of Bouillon It's back this year and I highly recommend you visit this beautiful town and its castle You can find more details on their website Save the date of 1st June as TravelMatKanner invites you to celebrate International Children's Day at Nyx restaurant Stay tuned for further announcements regarding this exciting event a new bathing location will be added to the charming Echternach lake If you haven't already heard about it, I recommend checking out the RTL Today article for more information and details about this wonderful addition While our anticipation may extend until October the wait will certainly be worthwhile as we prepare to experience the grandeur of the largest boulder hall in the greater region this establishment is bound to become a favored destination for those seeking an active lifestyle For further details and updates on this exciting project, I recommend visiting the website of the Esch-sur-Alzette commune you can find more information that will keep you informed and excited about what's to come The new playground at Park Brill in Remich is also ready for you to come visit. Check out the photos on the municipality’s website here. You can visit all of the 37 participating museums for free on 20 & 21 May It's a great opportunity to to explore museums that you and your children haven't had the chance to visit before The full program is available on their website. This great museum dedicated to Henri Tudor and electricity will hold open days on May 27 and 28 From 2 to 6pm all visitors will be able to enter the museum for free and guided tours will be organised in three languages Furthermore, the museum is not far away from the playground in Rosport. Find more information on the museum's Facebook page Another exciting addition to the list of playgrounds awaits children this particular playground is designed to resemble wine barrels I'm eagerly looking forward to exploring it with the children The Labyrinth of Durbuy in Belgium is coming back Children will love it and it's a great opportunity to visit the town of Durbuy which also very beautiful and has many fun activities and experiences for families with children Find more information on their Facebook page After a years-long hiatus, the Luxembourgish corn maze is back! Make sure to follow their Facebook page to get all the latest updates From 24 July to 17 September another corn maze in Luxembourg will be open It'll be all the way up north in Wincrange at Park Sennesraich we'll have plenty of exciting opportunities to explore and try new things So let's embrace the adventures and embark on our TravelmatKanner journey If you happen to try any of these experiences I would be delighted to hear your feedback and learn about your enjoyable moments One place the hostage information appeared was on the website actualite.co, where it was later removed. The false news reached Cora in Messancy, who responded with the following statement: “Rumours have been circulating especially on social media of a hostage situation occurring at the Cora Messancy store in the province of Luxembourg. The management of Cora Belgium denies these rumours, and nothing occurred at our Messancy store." Just where or how the rumours started are unknown. Do not miss the news - get the wort.lu newsletter in English delivered to your inbox six days a week SOS DétresseMore and more calls to Luxembourg mental health hotlineMore calls with suicidal thoughts “particularly worrying”, says SOS Détresse Public holiday 10 things to do on the 9 May Europe Day holidayVisit Robert Schuman’s house, head to the Mult-Culti festival in Bertrange or take a guided tour of the Europa Experience In OctoberThree-day celebration to mark Guillaume’s ascension to the throne Ministry of State releases more details on ceremony and public programme in October People movesSimmons & Simmons appoints new Luxembourg country head Thierry Somma took office on 1 May, succeeding Louis-Maël Cogis Hidden infrastructure PremiumWhat happened to Luxembourg’s WW2 and Cold War bunkers?The geopolitical climate has many countries searching for underground safety solutions War Israel vows to step up Gaza fighting ahead of Trump’s Gulf tripSignificant escalation not expected until after Trump’s trip Food safetyPremiumEU food safety chief warns on bird flu threat to pigsBernhard Url says Europe’s swine herds could become a ‘dangerous virus laboratory’ ElectionsRomanian far-right leader scores first-round election winDissatisfaction with ruling establishment due to corruption and poverty evident in election results The sum of the prices of the 50 selected products at the Auchan in Mont-Saint-Martin amounts to €295.13 This is 8% less than at the Cactus in Bascharage and 19% less than at the Cora in Messancy Where it is most interesting to do your household shopping when you live in a border region Though the distances between shops are relatively small raw materials and transport has been reflected in the products found on supermarket shelves for several months now Luxembourg statistics bureau Statec reported a consumer price inflation of 6.8% (over twelve months) with food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rising by 8.02% Even if inflation is also rising in Luxembourg's neighbouring countries the current context can make you wonder if In other words: if shopping on the other side of the border would not be financially more interesting Delano’s sister publication Paperjam carried out a comparison on Tuesday 20 September in a geographical area that lends itself perfectly to the exercise: the so-called "three borders" region (Belgium-France-Luxembourg) there are three hypermarkets in three different territories: the Cactus in Bascharage (Luxembourg) the Cora in Messancy (Belgium) and the Auchan du Pôle Europe in Mont-Saint-Martin (France) All of them are only ten minutes away from each other by car but do not necessarily have the reputation of being the most aggressive in terms of prices A shopping trolley of about 50 products was determined (see the table below) taking care to ensure that these were the same on each side of the border as the Price Formation Observatory (OFP) regularly indicates in its publications few products are distributed everywhere throughout the Greater Region Major international brands were favoured here while adapting the content according to the cost per litre or per kilogram This mini-study shows a very large difference in prices for similar products a six-pack of 1.5 litre Vittel bottles is 54% more expensive at Cactus than at Auchan on the French border and 82% more expensive compared to the Cora in Messancy A pack of 45 Finish dishwasher tablets can be found in Belgian and Luxembourg stores at a price 77% and 122% higher than in France respectively that we have based ourselves on full prices for these products not taking into account the various (large and sometimes very frequent) promotions that some of them benefit from the total price of the 50 products selected in France was €287.96 11.7% less than at the Cactus (€321.68) and 27% less than at the Cora in Messancy (€365.79) professor of marketing at the Belgian university UNamur--he is familiar with the problems of cross-border shopping there is a difference of almost 20% between the prices offered in France and in Belgium,” he says This situation can be explained by various factors the French food market is extremely lively This competitive intensity pushes prices down," explains Zidda "Another element is the cost structure fixed costs are passed on to a larger quantity This is reflected in the cost of raw materials because in Belgium there is automatic indexation of wages.” in the event of a serious economic situation there is a possibility of temporarily avoiding the salary increase as was the case with the postponement of an indexation tranche from July 2022 to April 2023 it should be noted that in July the consumer price index was 6.1% in France and 10.4% in Belgium we can add that there are obviously differences in terms of taxation--the VAT rate on food is not the same in the three territories (3% in Luxembourg If the Auchan in Mont-Saint-Martin is the least expensive of the three establishments we visited what about the shops of the same group in Luxembourg--And more precisely the Auchan Opkorn supermarket a quarter of an hour by car from the French shop it appears that the same shopping trolley with 50 products costs €294.96 This puts it in second place in our mini study by the fact that the Luxembourg Auchan stores are partly supplied by the French central purchasing office A head-on collision between a fire engine and a car occurred on the N81 in Belgium at around 7.20am on Thursday morning The road has been closed from the Cora roundabout towards France and the police set up a diversion through the centre of Messancy Drivers are advised to use side roads and avoid the N81 "It is not yet known whether there were any casualties," reports L'Avenir it has been confirmed that three people were injured "the driver of the car is seriously injured The Belgian media outlet also provides more details on the circumstances explaining that the driver of the fire engine was accompanied by an instructor and on their way to take their practical driving test the commander of the emergency services of the Province of Luxembourg there is no link between the fact that the driver was about to take their driving test and the accident The road was very slippery and in poor condition," Thiry told TVLux FOTOGALERIE Luxembourg isn't famed for its range of low-price shops how we miss it - but there's one in Trier) there's good reason to head beyond the border for a day of shopping if you want to save a bit of money where might one go for some outlet shopping Designer Outlet LuxembourgLocated in Messancy this outlet is about a 30-minute drive from Luxembourg City McArthurGlen in TroyesRoughly a 3-hour drive from Luxembourg City. Offers 106 shops with a wide range of brands. Find a full list of shops here Marques Avenue in TalangeRefreshingly this isn't one of those situations where to outlet centres relatively near each other carry the exact same brands At Marques Avenue you will find brands such as O'Neill It's about a 50-minute drive from the City Roppenheim The Style OutletsSlightly further afield – you'll need to spend about 3 hours in the car – is The Style Outlets in Roppenheim you'll get a slightly bigger selection of brands to choose from Fashion Outlet ZweibrückenA large outlet centre can be found in Zweibrücken where brands include Abercrombie & Fitch Expect to spend about an hour and a half in the car to get there Roermond Designer OutletRoughly two hours away this destination rewards your short drive with an extensive array of high-end brands and unbeatable deals.Shoppers can explore stores not commonly found in other outlets With its diverse range and excellent savings For a complete list of brands and current offers Know of any other places nearby where one might grab a bargain Let us know in the comments or write to contenttoday@rtl.lu Knowledge Bites: Christmas shopping in (and around) Luxembourg The two-floor store, the first dedicated to the brand in the Grand Duchy, will carry Nike and Jordan collections, and - at 1,360m2 spread over two floors - it will be the biggest retailer in the shopping centre. The Nike Rise concept is already established in several major cities. According to a company statement, it aims to “connect the local community to sports by integrating products, services, and seamless experiences between digital and physical spaces.” Nike says it has designed an “immersive sports experience within the store”, featuring the Footwear Fastlane to guide customers in selecting shoes, a sportswear section tailored to women, and the Sport Hub, a central area for personalised advice and services. The project is the result of a collaboration between Nhood, which will manage the store, and Inowai, a real estate agency in Luxembourg, which facilitated the connection with Nike. Julien Pillot, Head of Agencies at Inowai said that the opening “confirms Luxembourg’s potential as a preferred destination for international brands” and demonstrates the company’s ability “to leverage local expertise to benefit major global retailers.” While Nike products are available in numerous stores across the country, this will be the first own store of the brand in Luxembourg. The nearest outlets currently are so-called Factory Stores in shopping outlet centres located near Messancy (Belgium), Metz (France) and Zweibrücken (Germany). 1 May, Labour DayTrade unions threaten general strike in Labour Day demonstrationsThe OGBL and LCGB unions used 1 May rallies to promise nationwide protests for worker and union rights ShoppingIs the sneaker trend running out of steam?With resale culture fading, Luxembourg shops strive to stay up to date with the latest must-have pairs CommerceBankrupt furniture chain Sichel closes its shops in LuxembourgSichel furniture shops closed their doors in Esch-sur-Alzette and Bertrange after the company was declared bankrupt Online shoppingTemu and Shein see US sales surge ahead of small parcel tariffAmerican consumers are stockpiling goods before e-commerce platforms raise their prices ClosureExki to close its outlet in Kirchberg Shopping CenterHead of Happy Snacks Antoine Scholer acknowledges the firm is facing tough times despite revenue raising deal with shareholders in January Trade warTrump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘reciprocal’ tariffsSmartphones, laptop computers, hard drives, computer processors and memory chips generally aren’t made in the US Eating outCocottes to open café to replace La Baraque chip shopThe specialist fries outlet closed at the end of March, with the new café-sandwich shop due to open in early June Automobile sectorNew car sales sluggish in LuxembourgRegistrations increased by just 1.37% in the first quarter of 2025, with Tesla sales falling by 52% Damien Henryon was killed by a group of burglars on Wednesday, as they ran him over in their car on their escape. The 25-year-old Henryon was the father of a young boy. Some 800 people, including 300 police officers, joined Henryon's friends and family for the two-hour ceremony at the parish church in Sainte-Marie-sur-Semois. Henryon was posthumously awarded with a first class decoration by Interior Minister Joëlle Milquet for his extraordinary courage and bravery. Governor of the Province de Luxembourg Bernard Caprasse and a representative of the royal household were also present. The driver of the escape vehicle is being held in custody while a search for his accomplices is ongoing.