Top 10 online stores in Belgium

Most of the leading ecommerce stores in Belgium are from abroad. Due to strict rules, in past years it was hard for local sellers to compete with cross-border sellers. This is evident in the top 10 online stores of the country.

List of the top 10 online stores in Belgium

The major online stores in Belgium are stores from neighbouring countries like the Netherlands and Germany. Of course, the top 10 changes every year. According to Statista, these are the 10 biggest online stores in Belgium based on their revenue in 2022:

1. Bol 715.9 million euros
2. Coolblue 522.9 million euros
3. Zalando 342.7 million euros
4. Apple 329.8 million euros
5. Amazon 183 million euros
6. Shein 173.4 million euros
7. MediaMarkt 163.8 million euros
8. Ikea 161.8 million euros
9. Delhaize 147.5 million euros
10. Albert Heijn 132.6 million euros

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customer doing online shopping

Information about main stores in the top 10

Below, we have highlighted some of the online stores that were listed in the top 10:

bol logoBol

Dutch online marketplace Bol has been one of the biggest online stores in Belgium for years. It became active in Belgium in 2002. However, in 2023, several Belgian partner sellers on the marketplace said that Bol is abusing its power by asking for details from product suppliers, as well as increasingly large revenue shares.

coolblueCoolblue

Coolblue is a Dutch omnichannel retailer. In 2002, the company launched its first websites in Belgium. And in 2007, it opened its first store in Antwerp. Since then, more physical locations in Belgium have opened up.

AmazonAmazon

Amazon is another international online marketplace that is active in Belgium. For years, consumers in the country had to shop on Amazon France or one of the other European Amazon websites. However, in 2022, the company opened a dedicated online store in Belgium. It also opened its first logistics center in the country that year.

Local online stores that were not in the top 10

Belgian local online stores have not reached the top 10 in a couple of years. However, there are some well-known stores in the country. Think for example of Vanden Borre, a multimedia and consumer electronics retailer. The Colruyt Group is also popular, which is best-known for its Colruyt supermarkets.

Strict rules held local sellers back

As said before, the complete top 10 in Belgium is made up out of cross-border sellers. In 2023, there were 63,202 online stores registered in the country, but they have not been able to compete with cross-border sellers. This is mostly because of strict rules.

Until 2022, online stores had to stop working between 20:00 and midnight.

Up until 2022, online stores had to close between 20:00 and midnight. International sellers, meanwhile, have workers during the night preparing packages to be shipped. Because of that, these international sellers have grown a large customer base in Belgium.

Do you want to sell cross-border in Europe? It ain't easy but with the right ecommerce software, online marketing channels and European fulfillment companies market leadership is surely possible.

Pleuni

Pleuni

Pleuni writes all types of news and background articles for Ecommerce News, where she has been working since 2019.

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