Filigranes bookstore to restructure for a second time

The Filigranes bookstore in Brussels will undergo a second restructuring following a collective complaint signed by 48 employees and filed with social insurance fund Securex.

An initial restructuring plan launched at the end of 2022 led to the departure of about 15 staff members, but the plan failed to get the bookshop back on its feet after a series of financial losses amounting to over €1.6 million.

Among the reasons cited for the losses was the wage indexation and “the fall in the price of books in France”, which taxes them at 5.5% compared with 6% in Belgium, thereby increasing competition.

The Brussels bookshop has now been restructuring for a year and a half, according to director Véronique Croisé.

The aim of new measures planned is to limit costs, reduce the surface area of the main Brussels bookshop by about 100m² and "reorganise" the company. An overhaul of the website is also planned.

“All our employees support Filigranes,” Croisé said. “Our teams are actively involved in finding solutions to keep the company going. The forecasts for 2023-2024 are good.”

This second plan includes no redundancies for now.

Photo: Hatim Kaghat/Belga