© Unsplash
Representatives from the retail sector signed a new pact on Wednesday, which seeks to increase transparency and attract more customers from the greater region.
On Wednesday morning, Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Lex Delles gave a press conference to present and sign the '2023 Pro Commerce Pact'. He labelled retail as 'a very important aspect of a livable and lively town". Minister Delles was joined at the presentation by members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Luxembourgish Confederation of Commerce, who cosigned the pact.
The commerce register, which is publicly available in a less detailed version on geoportail.lu, is part of the pact and supposed to create a better overview of commercial zones in each municipality.
Echternach is one of nine towns already employing this tool. According to Mayor Yves Wengler, the register helps clarify which spaces are empty, how big they are, as well as their exact location.
Data in the commerce register is updated twice per year. According to Carole Müller, president of the Luxembourgish Confederation of Commerce, the '2023 Pro Commerce Pact' envisions that retailers will be able to benefit from the tool and locate suitable sites more easily in the future.
A detailed report on retail and the organisation of a 'Retail Event' is also part of the pact. The project further seeks to attract more customers from the greater region and help businesses become more sustainable.
Carlo Thelen, director of the Chamber of Commerce, described the situation in the sector as marked by "uncertainty and lack of predictability". He argued that targeted aids and increased flexibility are needed and that a shortening of work hours is sending the wrong signal.
Every second business in Luxembourg is active in retail, with an estimated 55,000 jobs available in the sector.
