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ABSTRACT
This article evaluates how self-service shopping and the supermarket format were introduced in post-war Belgium. Compared to other European countries, this happened quite late. The main locomotives were the country’s four major distribution chains. Their leading role can be connected to the involvement of their managers in transfer of retail expertise from the US to Western Europe, clearly preceding governmental efforts to increase retail productivity by promoting the American model. Family-based shopkeeping was deeply rooted in Belgium's predominantly Catholic societal culture. Forging a compromise policy on the modernisation of retail proved to be quite a challenge. In the 1960s government enabled the further expansion of big distribution but also tried to mitigate the transition by stimulating the modernisation of independent retail through consultancy and professional training. It also fostered the growth of a so-called ‘independent associated retail sector’ through franchising and other cooperative networks. At first, this policy seemed to offer viable perspectives. In the early 1970s, however, Belgium witnessed a remarkable upsurge of shopkeeper protest, in part triggered by the concentration of big distribution and the growing impact of its hypermarkets. To guarantee a durable balance between big and small a legal framework on retail establishment was introduced.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on the contributor
Peter Heyrman (1964) is an historian and head of Research at KADOC, the Documentation and Research Centre for Religion, Culture and Society of KU Leuven. He has published on various aspects of Belgium’s socio-political history in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing above all on the history of small and medium-sized business, its interest organisations and the relationship between religion and entrepreneurship.
Notes
1 De Grazia, Irresistible Empire, 376–415; Lundin et al., The Making.
2 Sedlmaier, From Department Store, 11.
3 See for instance the strong anti-communist rhetoric at the international conferences of European big distribution organised by the Swiss big distribution pioneer Gottlieb Duttweiler (1888–1962) in Rüschlikon, e.g. the minutes of the 3ième congrès international d'Etudes de la Fondation Institut Coopératif 'Le Pré Vert' in Ruschlikon on 3 July 1953, in Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1157–58.
4 Shaw et al., “Selling Self-service”; Shaw et al., “The Coming of the Supermarket”; Scott et al., “New Perspectives”.
5 Hall et al., Varieties of Capitalism.
6 Coupain, La Distribution.
7 Michel and Vander Eycken, La distribution, 19.
8 Business Week, 15 April 1972: 56.
9 Michel and Vander Eycken, La distribution, 19; Weekberichten Kredietbank, 1 February 1980.
10 Collet, Supermarkt. Collet, Delhaize Le Lion, 92–5. On the complex prewar history of the Delhaize family’s food chains, Delhaize Frères et Co/Le Lion (1867), Louis Delhaize (1870) and Adolphe Delhaize (1874), see the contributions of Serge Jaumain in Kurgan-van Hentenryk et al., Dictionnaire des patrons, 190–2; Teughels, “Succursales”; Teughels, Mag het iets meer zijn.
11 Thinnes, “Origine et évolution”; Kurgan et al., Dictionnaire, 621–622.
12 Kurgan et al., Dictionnaire, 98–100; Burstin, Maurice Cauwe; Burstin, “Cauwe, Maurice”.
13 Dopchie, GB: La rage; Deslandes, Historique, 39–42 and 269–298; BCD/CBD, “35 ans”.
14 Jessen and Langer, “Introduction”, 9.
15 Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1157–58.
16 Michel, La distribution, 141, quoting OEEC, Le libre-service, 24–5.
17 BCD/CBD. Belgisch Distributie Tijdschrift/Revue Belge de la Distribution, July-August 1961 : 41; Michel, La distribution, 140–5; Michel and Vander Eycken, La distribution, 174.
18 Association Internationale du Libre Service, Libre-Service 1971, 28–34.
19 Grimmeau, “A Forgotten Anniversary”; Soulabail, La genèse. See also Dopchie, GB: La rage, 50–60 and Cauwe, “Genèse”; Daumas, “L’invention”.
20 Grimmeau, “A forgotten anniversary”, 3. See also Uhrich, Super-Marchés, 202–3.
21 Mérenne-Schoumaker, “L'évolution”, 127, table 2.
22 Vandermosten, “De supermarkt”, 49.
23 Jeanneney, Les commerces; Evalenko and Michel, La structure; Jefferys et al., La productivité; CRISP, “Les grands magasins”; ESIM/IECM, Bijdrage.
24 See for instance Burstin, Maurice Cauwe, 57–66.
25 Heyrman, “Unlocking the Padlock”.
26 Kwanten, “De christelijke coöperatieve bedrijven”; Defoort, Werklieden; CRISP, “La distribution en Belgique (II)”.
27 Michel and Vander Eycken, La distribution, 146–8 and 255. A more optimistic picture by De Meyer, “Marktaandeel”. See also: BCD/CBD, Belgisch Distributie Tijdschrift/ Revue belge de la distribution, 15.
28 Michel, La distribution, 146, table 79. BCD/CBD (Belgisch Distributie Tijdschrift/ Revue belge de la distribution, February 1963: 27–8) reported 58 supermarkets at that date, with some smaller outlets (400–700 m2) making the difference.
29 De Bie and Lacrosse, Emile Bernheim; Kurgan et al., Dictionnaire, 46–9; Jaumain, “Jalons”.
30 Collet, Delhaize, 237–40; Daumas, Dictionnaire, 243.
31 Vieujant, Visite.
32 De Leener, La distribution, 222.
33 Bernheim, L'organisation; Bernheim, Les groupements; Bernheim, La distribution.
34 Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1125. Cauwe, “Le commerce de détail”.
35 Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1126; Sermeus, Le supermarket.
36 Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1122.
37 AIDA, Premier Congrè.
38 Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1155 and 1156.
39 Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1119–1120; Cauwe, Les USA.
40 Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1118 and 1133.
41 Collet, Delhaize, 92–3.
42 Bertrams, "“Productivité économique”.
43 Caussin, Les formes.
44 BDOP/OBAP, De productiviteit.
45 BDOP/OBAP, Jaarverslagen; Id., Nationaal congres.
46 BCD/CBD, Jaarverslage; Id., Documentation.
47 Among the main scholars studying distribution in the 1950s and 1960s: René Evalenko (1920–1980) and Henri Vander Eycken (1926–2012) of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, André Vlerick (1919–1990) of Ghent University, and Paul Deneffe and Marcel Michel of the Catholic University of Leuven.
48 Laloire, L’évolution; Wyvekens, De vereniging; Van Daele, De distributie. See also KADOC-KU Leuven: Archives NCMV/Unizo-Nationaal 380.
49 BDOP/OBAP, Shopping Centers; Archives de l’ULB: Fonds GIB 1130 and 1136.
50 Boddewyn, Belgian Public Policy; Boddewyn and Hollander, Public Policy.
51 BCD/CBD, Inlichtingsbulleti; Id., Belgisch Distributie Tijdschrift; Id., Distributie Vandaag; Id., La vente visuelle; Id., Petit guide pratique; Id., La publicité; Id., Le Self-service; Id., Le développement;Id., Jaarboek 1971 & 1973.
52 Cauwe, Révolution, 3 and 19.
53 The first research seminar on shoplifting in Belgium took place on 14 June 1966. See the dossier in KADOC-KU Leuven, Archives Fernand Hermans 374, and the report in De Standaard, 16 June 1966.
54 See KADOC-KU Leuven: Archives Cepess 1167 and 1191; Cepess, Distributieproblemen.
55 KADOC-KU Leuven, Archives NCMV-Nationaal 137.
56 Van den Driessche, “De totstandkoming”; KADOC-KU Leuven: Archives NCMV/Unizo-Nationaal 297/4.
57 Heyrman et al, La sécurité sociale, 132–61.
58 Van Rompuy, “Programmatie”.
59 Coupain, La Distribution, 132; Michel and Vander Eycken, La Distribution, 175 and passim.
60 Crossick, “Formation ou invention”.
61 See for instance: Derks, Dienstbaarheid.
62 “Address of Pope Pius XII to the III international congress on the distribution of food products, 22 June 1956”, in: Carlen eds., Dictionary, 28; Chinigo eds., The Pope Speaks, 1, 81–4.
63 “Address to the Catholic SME Associations, 8 October 1956”: in: Chinigo, The Pope speaks, 3, 405–9.
64 KADOC-KU Leuven: Archives NCMV-Limburg 91 and 413.
65 BCD/CBD, Les chaînes volontaires, 52; BCD/CBD, Belgisch Distributietijdschrift, 40; Michel and Vander Eycken, La distribution, 288–94; Wyvekens, Vereniging, 46–52 and 56; ESIM/IECM, De concentratie; ESIM/IECM, De distributie, 63–5.
66 Segers, “Jo Colruyt”.
67 BCD/CBD, Belgisch Distributie Tijdschrift, 7–8; CBD, Le développement, 5–10; Michel, La distribution, table 51; Michel and Vander Eycken, La distribution, 180, table 81 (based on figures of Nielsen, the BCD/CBD and the Belgian National Institute of Statistics and their own estimations) and table 84. See also CRISP, “La distribution en Belgique (I)”; CRISP, “La distribution en Belgique (II)”.
68 Mérenne-Schoumaeker, “L’évolution”, 123 (table 1) and 127 (table 2).
69 BDOP/OBAP, De distributie in 1980, I (1969), 53.
70 Yearly reports of NV Grand Bazar Antwerpen, Super Bazars NV and NV Supermarkten GB, 1961–1970; see also Michel and Van der Eycken, La Distribution, 257.
71 Thinnes, Origine et évolution, 89–91.
72 Makro-Zelfbedieningsgroothandel NV of the Dutch SHV group profiled itself as a 'cash and carry' self-service wholesale chain. Its stores had an average commercial surface of 20,000m².
73 Evens, De brand.
74 Burstin, Maurice Cauwe, 133–40; Dopchie, GB. La rage. Jewel Tea withdrew from GB in 1973.
75 Jacques, L'Etat, le petit commerce, 199–216; Milet, “Après la lutte”.
76 Boddewyn, Public policy, 197–212.
77 For example: Cauwe, Van grendelwet.
78 Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad, 1 July 1975. Heyrman, “Equilibrer”; Davies, Retail Planning Policies; Dawson, “A Note”; Guimarães, “Revisiting Retail Planning”.
79 Nielsen, De Distributie, 6.