Belgian shoppers are increasingly opting to cross the border to France for their grocery shopping. Recent data from trade federation Comeos, as reported in De Standaard on Monday, reveals

that in the first quarter of 2023, Belgians spent nearly 70 percent more in France compared to the same period last year.

During the first quarter, cross-border purchases reached a total of 688 million euros, with 423 million euros spent specifically in France, according to Comeos.

The price disparity between Belgian and French supermarkets has widened over the past year, driven by the doubling of inflation in Belgium. Belgian supermarkets have struggled to fully pass on the price increases imposed by food producers, while the automatic linkage of inflation to wages has also contributed to higher labor costs.

"A survey we commissioned showed that 37 percent of Belgians regularly make purchases abroad," states Dominique Michel, CEO of Comeos. "Half of Belgians live within an hour's drive from the border. Almost one in three people in Wallonia resides less than 20 km away from the border."

Since 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the value of cross-border trade with France has seen a remarkable 42 percent increase. Comeos anticipates this growth trend to persist in the future. Photo by Lionel Allorge, Wikimedia commons.