Floralux puts Christmas trees on sale during Belgium’s August heat

Updated 17 August 2026 — DADIZELE, West Flanders: Floralux began displaying and selling its first artificial Christmas trees and festive decorations in early August, even as hot weather gripped Belgium, according to reports by HLN and VRT NWS. The garden centre says customers have already shown interest, although its full Christmas village remains under construction.

The contrast is striking, but the timing is established practice rather than a sudden change in strategy. Focus and WTV previously reported that Floralux routinely introduces part of its Christmas range in August and completes the wider display later in the season. Het Nieuwsblad documented the same pattern in 2018, when the retailer said municipalities and other professional buyers used the early opening to examine decorations and plan winter purchases.

Floralux’s own website describes the Dadizele branch as a 25,000-square-metre centre selling plants, household goods, animal supplies and seasonal decoration. That scale helps explain why the Christmas department takes time to assemble and why parts of it open while summer merchandise is still visible.

The display also arrives during a milestone year for the West Flemish business. Voka West-Vlaanderen reported in May that Floralux is celebrating its 70th anniversary and that Frie and Sten Carrein took over as co-chief executives on 1 July. According to Voka, the family-owned group operates three Belgian garden centres and employs 280 people, rising to as many as 470 during peak periods.

Early Christmas retail divides opinion each year. Floralux presents the opening as a response to preparation time and customer demand. In an earlier report carried by Focus and WTV, the Neutral Syndicate for the Self-Employed called the timing questionable but lawful, while Unizo West-Vlaanderen pointed to cities and municipalities that plan festive displays months ahead.

For visitors, the immediate change is limited: part of the seasonal range is available, but reporting has not established when every section of the 2026 Christmas village will be finished. Floralux is expected to expand the display progressively as autumn approaches; the company has not published a confirmed completion date on its public store page.