Retailers get more leeway to fight vacancy – Financieele Dagblad (Registration)

Fifty Dutch municipalities go this year agreements with local business owners and property owners to reduce vacancies and provide the slump in the retail industry head. That is one of the main ambitions pronounced in the Retail Calendar is offered Tuesday at Camp Minister of Economic Affairs. The agenda was made at his request by various stakeholders. Both retailers and banks as property owners, municipalities and provinces were involved in the realization of the plans. The agenda, which next three years should be developed by a steering committee formed for that purpose, according to the minister needed because currently 7.5% of all stores in the Netherlands is vacant and 30% of the total retail space consists of overcapacity. Which 50 municipalities participating in the plans, it is not yet known.

Rents

In the so-called retail deals that are going to be made in the fifty municipalities will include to look at the amount of rent that entrepreneurs pay for their retail. Read rather than rent should be based on historical prices, as is customary in the market, should work more and more are going to be with market rent, it says in the Retail Calendar. In the letter sent Minister Kamp on the subject to parliament, he writes that real estate companies and retail mutual Netherlands already have agreed to work together in this new way. The plans still need further be elaborated legal.

Overcapacity

In some municipalities, landlords of property in consultation with tenants in addition started to reduce unnecessary square meters of retail space. In 12 municipalities, the government also launched an experiment to reduce regulations. The ambition is to reduce the regulatory burden on local, national and European level. Because of these adjustments, traders example easier catering facilities and services in their stores should be able to combine. The wish expressed by many retailers, but they often run into with developing these plans the boundaries of a zoning plan. Adaptation takes in practice often endless. The parties mutually agreed to work out further, must also be paid to the training of personnel. In this way they can better respond to the changing needs of consumers. Since many of the plans financial resources, additional appropriations were made available with the support of Economic Affairs. In the Retail Agenda in that context mentioned, namely SMEs Impulse Fund amounting to € 40 million. This fund was, however, in November last year created and it is in that case no new money.

Contribution

The organization of the implementation of the plan will cost over the next three years, a total of € 900,000. The Ministry of Economic Affairs occupies a third for his account. The retail sector and the real parties in accordance Camp also pledged to contribute to the cost. Marijke van Hees, Councillor of the Labour Party in Enschede, the next three years will lead the management group. Under her presidency came Retail Blog about. In compiling the plans involved parties from different angles. Include Retail Netherlands, Thuiswinkel.org, the VNG, the Association of Institutional Property Investors in the Netherlands (IVBN) Vastgoedbelang, IPO, Rabobank and the G32 cities network were involved in the negotiations.