Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Eric De Vocht’s IRET plans to overhaul Antwerp’s worn‑out 1993 Grand Bazar, removing its indoor hall, adding street‑front shops, and expanding the Hilton Hotel into upper floors.
As VRT News reported, De Vocht now plans a big rebuild of Antwerp’s Grand Bazar shopping centre on Groenplaats that will connect part of the mall to a larger Hilton Hotel. The focus of the building will move away from being just a place to shop and will become something very different.
IRET spokesperson Tanguy Ottomer says the Grand Bazar needs a full renovation because the building has been worn out since it first opened in 1993. The plans will change how the whole place looks and how people move through it.
The indoor shopping hall will be removed, so visitors will no longer walk through one main corridor to reach the shops. Instead, the stores that stay will get their doors on the street, linking them straight to Groenplaats and nearby roads.
What will Eric De Vocht’s IRET do with Antwerp’s Grand Bazar?
According to officials, the plan to remake the Grand Bazaar will change the whole layout of the building. The shops on the first floor will be removed, and the second floor is already empty. These upper levels will not be used for shopping anymore.
They will be turned into hotel rooms or office spaces as part of the plan to grow the Hilton Hotel next door. IRET’s Tanguy Ottomer says the reason is simple:
“A shopping centre in the middle of the city just doesn’t work anymore.”
“The part of the Grand Bazaar along the Schoenmarkt is rather dead. With shops along the outer edge, that area will be revitalised.”
Tanguy Ottomer, IRET spokesperson
This change is also part of a bigger plan by the city of Antwerp. Work is already happening around Meir and Groenplaats to create a busy walking route called Via Sinjoor. Ottomer says putting shops with doors to the street will bring new life to that part of the area. The timeline is not yet clear because IRET still needs the right permits. Ottomer explains that work can only start once those permits are approved.
In early 2023, Antwerp developer Eric De Vocht and his company IRET Development bought the Grand Bazar shopping centre on Groenplaats. They already owned the Hilton Hotel next door, which De Vocht had purchased earlier. The new purchase gave him the chance to look at the whole site in a new way. Soon after, it became clear that the Grand Bazaar would stop being a normal shopping centre.
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