Lex Delles, Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism; Credit: Chronicle.lu

On Tuesday 12 November 2024, the American Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg (AMCHAM) held a breakfast event for its Member Benefits Club at the Pizza Hut in Place d'Armes in Luxembourg-ville.

Amcham's chairman, Paul Schonenberg, welcomed the almost one hundred people attending and thanked Pizza Hut for hosting the event in the 1st floor of their city centre restaurant. He recalled the setting up of the Members' Benefits Programme during the COVID pandemic to support the retail sector and he confirmed that there are now 260 companies affiliated with the programme, with over six thousand membership cards (offering discounts at retail shops, cafés and restaurants, and services) issued to their staff.

He introduced the event's guest speaker, Luxembourg's Minister for the Economy, Lex Delles, who stated that the retail sector is very important in Luxembourg, as well as in the US. He mentioned there are 400+ shops in Luxembourg, but they need clients to stay open. He stated that we can support the sector by buying in the shops which he described as being very important in our society. He said that the likes of online retailers such as Amazon and smaller retailers operating from real estate can work alongside each other; he also called out LetzShop.lu, which he described as offering an opportunity for shoppers to research items for sale online and then maybe go into the shops in person; it also digitalises the Luxembourg retail shops' offerings.  

Minister Delles also talked about monitoring Luxembourg's shops which are checked twice a year to monitor trends, e.g. to see if there are more/less butchers, shoe shops,... They also monitor other data from the retail sector which, together with state aids including SME packages (e.g. €5k vouchers for investment support and promotion), help the sector evolve.

He also addressed the roles of the municipalities in supporting the retail sector; together with the retail federation and the ministry, they help associations and retailers to develop their ideas of how they can reinvigorate the local retail sector.

Minister Delles then talked about changing laws to support the retail sector, including the law for retailers in relation to bankruptcy - where someone whose idea fails is given a second chance; and also a programme offering €2,000/month for six months when starting a business (with various conditions) - the Aide Créateur.

The event continued over a networking breakfast.