The IKEA furniture store at Sint-Denijs-Westrem, near Gent (East Flanders) is among the top 5 most successful IKEA stores worldwide when it comes to turnover. Figures released on Monday show that excluding the restaurant, only 4 other IKEA stores have a higher turnover that the store near Ghent. These are the stores in the Irish capital Dublin, Delft in the Netherlands, Montréal in Canada and Wembley in Northwest London. The figure is for the 2024 financial year and relates to turnover. The financial year ran from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024. IKEA has 400 stores in 31 countries. IKEA’s spokeswoman Lotte De Wilde “In any case business is brisk at all the Belgian IKEA stores, but the one in Ghent is doing particularly well”. Lotte De Wilde added that this is possibly because the store attracts customers from both East and West Flanders, a province where there is no IKEA. Furthermore, the Ghent store is one of the furnituire chain's larger shops. In some other cities there is more than one store, while in Ghent there is only one.  The first Ikea stores opened in Belgium 40 years ago at Zaventem and Ternat (both Flemish Brabant). The Ghent store open in 2008. Its Belgian stores had a total turnover of 1.198 billion euro during the last financial year.  ​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishCULTURE, SOCIETYArt Against Violence aims to give voices to women who have been silenced17 April 2025 A powerful new art and awareness project brings the often-hidden realities of violence against women into public view through deeply personal and confronting works of art. The exhibition begins on Thursday at Hof van Rijhove in Ghent. Initiated by visual artist Veerle Verbeke and supported by fellow artists and organisations, Art Against Violence runs until the end of 2027 and aims to break taboos, provoke dialogue and provide support. At the heart of the exhibition are Verbeke’s installations and a moving series of 13 portraits of victims of sexual violence. “Imagining an emotion in the work starts from my emotional world, my experiences,” she says. “By portraying an unspeakable theme, viewers can be touched in their own inner world.” The exhibition also features work by Dutch photographer Henriëtte Van Gasteren, who used her art as an outlet after her daughter was raped in 2017. Her series Silent Scream channels grief and rage into a confronting tribute to victims. “Powerlessness was the overwhelming feeling,” she says. Her portraits include not only victims, but also aid workers, magistrates and correctional officers, people entangled in the system of response. © PHOTO VEERLE VERBEKEThe project builds on the earlier FEMALE exhibitions which attracted thousands of visitors in Sint-Denijs-Westrem and Schellebelle One of the most powerful pieces was Verbeke’s wedding dress draped in chains “It triggered their own experiences,” she says “As if stories that could never be told before were now allowed to come out.” Violence against women remains a critical issue in Belgium According to the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men 1 in 5 women in Belgium experiences sexual violence in her lifetime a figure believed to represent a small fraction of actual cases stalking and coercive behaviour also remain widespread An information stand will be available at each venue the exhibition is displayed at offering guidance on legal rights and access to help when faced with transgressive behaviour ​#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO IYONA BZHAKHOVA / TASS / SIPA USA Copy linkGet updates in your mailboxYour email addressSubscribeBy clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media not to mention entertainment and lifestyle our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language businesses and various organisations that need reliable information Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs www.belganewsagency.eu The page you requested was not found on our site To the homepage Belgium - March 2018 - The "Don Bosco Zwijnaarde" and "Don Bosco Sint-Denijs-Westrem" secondary schools in the Gent region recorded a video in which professors, volunteers and students sing to raise awareness about the climate. Scientific research at schools has recorded the presence of high levels of CO2. They sang together, "We need to build a better future and we have to start now." ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007. This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes. By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements, you consent to the use of cookies. To learn more or to opt out, click "Further Information". ​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishCULTURESixteen restaurants join the list of Michelin stars in Belgium and Luxembourg13 March 2023 Sixteen restaurants have been awarded their first star in the latest edition of the Michelin Guide presented on Monday at the Royal Theatre in Mons Wallonia is particularly well represented in this new edition In addition to "La Grappe d'Or" "Le Roannay" by Mathieu Vande Velde - also named Young Chef of the Year - in Francorchamps "Le vieux château" by Tanguy de Turck in Flobecq "La table de Manon" by chef Manon Schenck in Torgny "Le grand verre" by Wout Bru in Durbuy "La grange d'Hamois" by Grégory Gillain in Emptinne and "La table de Benjamin Laborie" in Ohain have joined the club of starred restaurants six restaurants were awarded: "De Bakermat" by Kevin Graf in Ninove "Misera" by Nicolas Wentein Misera in Antwerp "Sensum" by Maurice De Jaeger in Sint-Denijs Westrem "Table d'amis" by Matthieu Beudaert in Kortrijk and "Glass" by Wouter Van Tichelen in Antwerp "Barge" by Grégoire Gillard and "Humus x Hortense" by Nicolas Decloedt Valerian Prade and Caroline Esch's "Eden Rose" in Kayl in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has also joined the club of starred restaurants Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants judged to be of a particularly high standard Restaurants that make the grade can be awarded one The star system was first introduced in 1926 with a single star indicating a "very good restaurant" The second and third stars were added in 1933 with two stars indicating "excellent cuisine worth a detour" and three stars indicating "exceptional cuisine worth a special journey" The Michelin Guide has been published annually since 1900 and was originally intended to help motorists find mechanics hotels and good restaurants on their travels the programme's popularity spread overseas in the following years and guides were published for major cities worldwide The company also enlisted the help of the legendary Michelin inspectors and developed the rigorous testing system that has made the Michelin Guide the gastronomic bible it is today Michelin star winners celebrate during the presentation of the new ​ edition of the Michelin 2023 restaurant and hotel guide for Belgium and ​ Luxembourg The fourth and final episode of the VRT Canvas documentary on the life of Prince Laurent In this episode we see how the prince often portrayed as the enfant terrible of the Belgian royal house presents himself as a green prince committed to animals and the climate The youngest scion of the royal family also got involved in several controversial projects and more than once this put him in trouble with the government Laurent is said to have sought contact with freemasonry: a secret society in which most members wish to remain anonymous They are said to strive for a better world through self-development freemasonry is decidedly anti-Roman Catholic "You could interpret his involvement as a kind of revenge," explains journalist Gui Polspoel "I don't know how contacts were made it's a little strange that he ended up among freemasons when his entire entourage - his parents his uncle and aunt were all in the sphere of ultra-Catholicism He deliberately ended up in the liberal camp "Was Laurent ever recruited by the Masons wrapped in a mystery within a riddle." Nobody knows exactly what happened" says royalty expert Jan van den Berghe Laurent’s vision is close to that of Flemish agriculture and environment minister Vera Dua (green) The “Green Prince” accepts almost every invitation to visit and promote ecological projects He is there when Indian tribal chief and environmental activist Raoni planted the first tree of the Ghent Park Forest in 2002 the 1,200-hectare nature reserve stretches from Sint-Denijs-Westrem to De Pinte "We once had dinner together at my house Laurent had a chat with Raoni and was particularly interested in the sex life of Indians," Dua says he got answers to all his questions." Belgium’s “Spare” got into real trouble when in uniform he attended a reception for the Chinese People’s Army at the Chinese embassy in Brussels "He was dressed in a military uniform That didn’t really have much significance Laurent made all the headlines" says Polspoel "You wonder what's going on in his head you know this is going to be a big row," says journalist Gui Polspoel Laurent lost a chunk of his government allowance