Why is Gamma closing its last two DIY stores in Brussels?

Gamma is closing both of its stores in the Brussels-Capital Region in 2026: the Uccle branch shut at the end of June and the Anderlecht outlet is also set to close, according to reporting by La Dernière Heure and Le Soir. The confirmed outcome is a complete withdrawal of the DIY chain’s physical stores from the capital, although Gamma’s online shop and branches around Brussels remain available. The company has not publicly disclosed, in the sources reviewed, how many Anderlecht jobs are affected, the branch’s final trading date or whether employees will be offered positions elsewhere.

The closures concern stores in two very different parts of the city. Gamma Uccle operated on Rue de Stalle, while the Anderlecht shop is on Petite rue du Cerf. Until this year they gave the chain a foothold in both southern and western Brussels. Bourrelier Group, the franchise operator behind a substantial part of Gamma’s Belgian and Dutch estate, confirmed in its half-year sales statement that Uccle closed at the end of June, alongside a store in Mechelen. Its statement did not give a detailed explanation for each individual closure.

Gamma is not disappearing from Belgium. Intergamma, the Dutch-based organisation that manages the Gamma format, describes the brand as one of Belgium’s three largest DIY chains. Its corporate website says the national network attracts about 160,000 customer visits a week and employs roughly 1,000 people, although Gamma’s own pages give inconsistent totals of between 83 and 87 Belgian stores. That discrepancy may reflect openings, closures, franchise changes or pages updated at different times, and the current total should therefore be treated cautiously.

The wider picture is one of selective investment rather than a simple nationwide retreat. Bourrelier reported consolidated first-half revenue of €158.5 million in 2026, nearly 5% above the €151.6 million recorded a year earlier. Distribution revenue reached €133 million, and the group said Belgian sales rose 8% year on year. In the same period it moved its Bruges and Herentals stores into premises more than twice as large, opened an additional outlet in Mol and closed Uccle and Mechelen. That combination suggests a portfolio strategy in which operators are concentrating capital on sites offering more space or stronger expected returns while leaving locations deemed less suitable.

Brussels poses a particular challenge for the large-format DIY model. These stores generally need broad retail floors, storage space, delivery access and parking for customers buying timber, paint or other bulky goods. Such requirements are easier and often cheaper to accommodate in peripheral retail zones than in a dense urban region. Gamma has not published store-level figures proving that property costs, accessibility or sales performance caused the Brussels closures, so those factors should be understood as market context rather than confirmed explanations.

For households, the consequence is practical. Brussels residents undertaking repairs or energy renovations will have one fewer major chain to compare for prices, advice and immediate stock. Customers without a car may feel the loss most acutely because carrying tools or building materials from branches outside the region is difficult. Gamma lists nearby stores in places including Dilbeek, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Machelen, Halle and Overijse, but a branch beyond the regional boundary is not necessarily a convenient substitute. Online ordering can cover standard products, yet delivery charges, waiting times and the need to inspect materials still matter.

The employment implications remain harder to measure. An Actiris vacancy published in April showed that the Uccle branch had recently been recruiting a full-time salesperson on a permanent contract, only months before the reported closure. That does not establish the size of the workforce or the circumstances surrounding the decision, but it underlines the uncertainty facing retail employees when store portfolios change quickly. No consultation outcome, redundancy total or position from the CNE-CSC or another sectoral union was found in the material reviewed.

For competing retailers such as Brico, Hubo and independent hardware shops, Gamma’s exit removes a familiar rival from within Brussels. It may redirect spending towards their stores, but it also raises a broader question about whether large DIY outlets can retain an urban presence as land, logistics and operating costs compete with housing and other uses. Smaller neighbourhood hardware shops are more accessible for everyday purchases, while large suburban stores offer deeper ranges and easier handling of bulky goods. Neither format completely replaces the other.

Gamma operates through a franchise structure. Intergamma supplies the brand, purchasing, marketing, logistics and operating formula, while franchisees manage stores and employ their personnel. That division matters because decisions about an individual branch cannot automatically be attributed to the brand owner alone. Bourrelier’s earlier financial reporting said it had closed structurally loss-making Gamma stores in Ans and Jemeppe in 2022 and argued that its portfolio needed renovations, relocations, openings and, where necessary, closures to preserve profitability. It has also disclosed long-running arbitration proceedings with Intergamma, although there is no evidence in the reviewed sources that those disputes directly caused the Brussels withdrawal.

The next points to watch are the final timetable for Anderlecht, the treatment of its employees and the future use of both properties. It is also unclear whether Gamma regards the retreat as permanent or could return through a smaller urban format, a collection point or a new franchise partner. For now, the firm’s Belgian investment is continuing elsewhere, but its large blue-and-white stores are disappearing from the capital itself—a modest change in national network terms, yet a tangible one for Brussels residents trying to renovate a home without travelling beyond the region.