Troubled Brussels bookstore Filigranes up for sale

Intell, the parent company of troubled Brussels bookstore Filigranes bookshops, is looking for a buyer.

Filigranes has faced not only financial difficulties but also accusations of abusive practices towards staff on the part of management in the past, prompting scrutiny.

In 2022, Filigranes employees filed a request for formal psychosocial intervention, alleging harassment and problems relating to well-being at work.

The founder of the bookshop stepped aside and Véronique Croisé has since been managing director.

With locations in Etterbeek, Ixelles and Knokke, the bookseller said it was experiencing structural difficulties linked to the crisis in the book sector.

The company's two attempts at restructuring have also failed to restore financial equilibrium due to low margins and rising costs, among other factors.

Filigranes is also claiming problems related to mobility changes in the city, saying access to its main bookshop on Brussels' inner ring has become more complicated and it therefore plans to move to a new location in the capital.

Intell applied on Wednesday to have the company transferred to a court-appointed body, according to the French-speaking business court in Brussels.

The company expects to be able to present potential candidates to the court at the end of a requested four-month standstill period.