Brussels has more trade associations than London or New York
With its 106 trade associations and 24,000 traders it would be safe to say that Brussels is a city of small business people. The tally of businesses puts our capital city above much larger cities such as London, Montréal and New York when it comes to the number of trade associations here.
The figures come from the Brussel Regional Trade Agency Atrium. According to Atrium’s figures, New York that has almost eight times the population of the Brussels-Capital Region has 85,000 businesses, but just 74 trade associations.
Atrium says that the large number of trade associations in the capital can be explained by the sense of involvement in the running of the associations that is felt by their member.
The trade associations don’t only represent and defend the interests of the traders but also try and make businesses more attractive to potential customers by investing in promotional activities. In addition to this they discuss their members’ wish with the municipal, regional and other authorities on a regular basis.