Last free-standing newsstand in Brussels to close

The last free-standing newsstand in the city of Brussels will soon close and be removed as part of the redevelopment of Avenue de la Toison d’Or and Boulevard de Waterloo. Although there will still be room for a kiosk on the future city promenade, what form or function it could have remains to be seen.

The newsstand at the entrance to the Louise Gallery was one of 53 such kiosks spread throughout the Brussels region at the time of Expo 58. Over the past decade, however, the remaining kiosk owners have given up one by one, either because they barely generated any income, or because they were forced to leave.

The City of Brussels, where most of these kiosks were located, removed almost all newsagents in the city centre as part of the construction of the pedestrian zone along Boulevard Anspach. A few huts were reconstituted to house other small businesses such as florists and street food vendors but the sale of newspapers and magazines from these sites came to an end.

Only one newsstand remained, the one on the roundabout between Avenue Louise and Avenue de la Toison d’Or. It will, however, have to make way for the construction of the new public space which will spread from Toison d’Or to the parallel shopping street of Boulevard de Waterloo.

The plan for the redevelopment reserves a spot for a small kiosk on the large esplanade at the roundabout but for one to be built there, a separate permit must be applied for. Time will tell if anyone makes use of this opportunity and whether newspapers and magazines would be sold from any kiosk built on the new site.