Recent reports have consistently suggested that Brussels will be facing a mass exodus of companies. A recent study by the Brussels Institute of Statistics and Analysis (BISA) shows that this, in fact, has not been the case over the previous decade.
In recent months, the news was inundated by tales of businesses getting ready to leave Brussels in their droves. These fears appeared to be materialising when Delhaize and Carrefour moved their headquarters to Flanders, and the chocolate manufacturer Leonidas decided to build their new factory in Wallonia.
This argument of an impending company exodus from the capital was later used by opponents of the region’s Good Move mobility plan, who released a survey showing that two in three traders would be willing to leave Brussels as the plan would delay deliveries and reduce accessibility for customers.
However, the survey was later found to have been based on misleading figures. Furthermore, a recent report by French-speaking outlet L’Echo appears to prove that far fewer companies are leaving the capital than previously thought.
