Small businesses in Forest suffering from closure of Audi factory

The closure of the Brussels Audi factory in Forest has hurt small businesses in the area that had enjoyed 75 years of catering to plant workers.

“I've watched it all grow,” Annie Richard, who has lived near the factory for more than 60 years and is chairwoman of the Forest Historical Circle, told Bruzz.

“The land along the railway used to be a swampy wasteland. Because the land was cheap and a railway line ran there, all kinds of industrial companies settled in Lower Forest last century.”

D'Ieteren also built a car factory on the site in the late 1940s, first assembling Studebakers from America there, then Beetles from the German Volkswagen group. In 1970, VW bought the site and modernised the workshop.

“The three shifts, morning, afternoon and night, set the rhythm of the neighbourhood,” Richard said.

“Many workers came by car and parked in the streets. Judging by the driving at the change of shifts, you knew exactly what time it was.”

But the automotive industry in Belgium as a whole has been quietly dying for some time now, with Audi’s departure only the latest in a series of exits. The manufacturer had taken over the VW site in Forest in 2006, acquiring half of its approximately 6,000 employees.

It expanded the site to a 2.5-kilometre-long, 54-hectare complex that now mostly sits empty and even vandalised in places as a result of the battle between unions and management over Audi’s exit, which left 3,000 people jobless.

The nearby Bar du Bempt is one of the many pubs near the factory where workers gathered for years, and now faces an uncertain future without its typical clientele.

Sandwicherie Shahinize is another business in the same position, used to delivering orders to hungry workers.

“From morning onwards, they would call with the order and the number of the gate where we had to deliver,” the owner told Bruzz.

Pubs such as Le Moulin, La Cox and the Kiosque look quiet and deserted today without their steady stream of regular customers. The once very popular Mon P'tit Lou has been for sale for some time. And at a near-empty Le Break, the owner told Bruzz that this spot was once bustling.

“It used to be much busier here around this time,” he recalled. “Every time the shifts changed, it would fill up, especially on Fridays. And 20 years ago, when we were still open 24 hours a day, they would come in at 5.00 in the morning.”

Residents worry that the whole hospitality industry of the Saint-Denis neighbourhood will feel Audi’s closure, not only the cafes, but also the snacks, pizzerias, sandwich shops and the Delhaize supermarket.

“Audi was running the whole neighbourhood's trade,” one resident told Bruzz.

Le Saint-Denis owner Hakan Caglak, who has run his snack shop for 26 years, agreed. “I lost 30% of my clientele because of the closure of Audi,” he said.

“Many employees came by before or after their shift. But we ourselves very often went to the factory gates at 18.00 with a series of orders of fries and durums. Someone would then quickly pop out during the break to take delivery of everything.”

Other residents anticipate less of an impact, pointing out that just 10% of Audi’s 3,000 workers actually lived in Brussels.

“The way 3,000 people are losing their jobs is obviously very sad,” one resident said. “But most of them don't live nearby.”

Annie Richard noted that Audi did not make much of an effort to help locals find work for them in their time occupying the neighbourhood, saying this still stings for many residents.

“In this district, unemployment is high, especially among young people, but Audi felt they didn't have the right profile,” she said.

Audi also used its position as a major economic engine in the area numerous times to get preferential treatment in financial matters, for example parking rates.

“Especially at the region, they got a lot done that way,” said PS leader Marc-Jean Ghyssels, alderman in Forest from 1990 and mayor between 2012 and 2018.

“For example, they received compensation for certain local taxes and also other financial support. I didn't think that was fair. Why did this multinational get an advantage and the small businesses of Forest didn't? And in the end they are now leaving anyway.”

The future of the site remains uncertain, with ideas being tossed around for a logistics hub, a football stadium and even a munitions factory.

For now, the land and buildings are still owned by Audi Brussels. A team of 300 people will deal with the last personnel and administrative issues there by the end of this year and then fully empty the factory.

After that, the site will most likely be sold, either to the government or a private investor.

“The redevelopment will be a very large and complex case,” Ghyssels predicted.

“Given the slowness of procedures in this country, the chances are that we will still be sorting it out in 15 years' time.”

That worries residents and business owners such as Richard, who see a risk of rising crime.

“Now the factory is secured by security teams and cameras,” Richard said.

“If the site is vacant soon and there’s no security, I fear it will become a no-go zone, where all sorts of unsavoury types will have free rein.”