Press shops face new rules 

From 13 August 2026, independent press shops and newsagents in Belgium will be subject to a new legal framework. This reform, which the Corbis federation has been calling for over the past decade, aims to better distinguish traditional press shops from businesses that use this status primarily to take advantage of certain benefits. 

A legal definition that changes the rules of the sector 

From 13 August 2026, businesses wishing to benefit from the status of independent press shop and newsagent will have to meet clearly defined criteria. This development marks the culmination of a campaign waged over the past decade by Corbis, the national federation of independent Belgian press shops and newsagents founded by Perstablo and Prodipresse. 

For its president, Yannick Gyssens, this clarification had become necessary due to the profound transformation of the profession. The previous framework dated back to 1977. 

“We are delighted that such a legal definition is finally coming into force and sets out more clearly what a genuine independent press shop is,” he explains. 

The profession bears little resemblance to what it was in the 1970s. Some products that were once commonplace in these shops have disappeared, whilst press shop activities have gradually diversified. Yannick Gyssens cites, in particular, the example of telephone cards, which were still associated with press shop activities under the old legislation but no longer reflect current realities. 

Two criteria for obtaining the status 

The new regulations are based primarily on two conditions. 

The first requirement is that the retail outlet must stock at least 200 different and recent titles. This range must include daily newspapers, weeklies and monthlies. 

The second condition relates directly to the organisation of the business. At least 40 per cent of the sales area must be devoted to products typical of a press shop and newsagent. 

This category includes, in particular, newspapers and magazines, books, stationery and greeting cards. It also encompasses nicotine products, sports betting and National Lottery products. 

Why are ‘bogus’ press shops being targeted? 

According to the federation, some establishments set up shop offering relatively few publications but nevertheless seek to benefit from the advantages associated with the status of a press shop and newsagent. Among the benefits cited are, in particular, the possibility of extended opening hours and access to sports betting. 

For Corbis, these benefits must remain linked to the actual running of an independent press shop and newsagent’s business.  

“This new legal framework will help tackle the phenomenon of fake independent press shops and newsagents, which are springing up all over the place, offering a limited number of publications, but whose main aim is to benefit from certain advantages,” says Yannick Gyssens. 

A sector that still has up to 1,600 independent press shops 

The reform also comes against a backdrop of a decline in the number of independent press shops and newsagents. Belgium still has between 1,500 and 1,600 such outlets, according to figures reported by Corbis. Around 900 are located in the north of the country. The federation hopes that the new regulations will help to stem this decline. 

Independent retailers must also contend with competition from press shops. In this commercial landscape, Corbis believes that a stricter legal definition will better protect those professionals who maintain a genuinely diverse range of press titles. 

The new status does not, of course, guarantee the economic future of these businesses on its own. But for the federation, it provides a means of better regulating the use of the designation and the benefits associated with it. 

Press diversity at the heart of the debate 

For Corbis, the issue also concerns the diversity of information available to the public. A press shop should not become merely a retail outlet stocking just a few high-circulation magazines. 

“We do not want a country where, in the future, there would be nothing but ‘fake’ press shops stocking only the top 20 magazines,” warns Yannick Gyssens. 

The federation’s president directly links this issue to pluralism and the ability of citizens to access as wide a range of information as possible. 

The new framework thus seeks to protect a certain conception of the profession, based in particular on the availability of a sufficiently wide choice of newspapers and periodicals. 

The regulations will now have to stand the test of practice 

However, defining criteria is only the first step. It remains to be seen whether they are actually being complied with. 

Corbis therefore hopes that the new legislation will be accompanied by on-the-ground checks. Yannick Gyssens specifically mentions the role that the Federal Public Service for the Economy could play in identifying businesses that present themselves as independent press shops and newsagents without complying with the new conditions. 

The federation has already begun preparing its own members for the new regulations to come into force. A letter has been sent to them asking them to check their status. The press shops concerned are asked to determine whether they meet the criteria set out in the new regulations and, if necessary, to take the necessary steps to ensure compliance. 

At the same time, Corbis is developing a tool designed to simplify the administrative management of professionals’ records. 

“Calculations, status updates and documents – everything will be stored digitally to facilitate the management of independent press shops’ and newsagents’ records and to prepare for any potential inspections,” says Corbis. 

A ten-year campaign to modernise outdated legislation 

For Corbis, the entry into force of the new status represents, above all, the culmination of a long-standing demand. The federation had been calling for a definition better suited to contemporary realities for around ten years. The old framework, dating from 1977, no longer adequately reflected the changes that had taken place within the profession. Between changes in the products sold, the diversification of activities and the emergence of businesses seeking to exploit the specific features of the status, the sector had changed profoundly. 

The effectiveness of the scheme will now depend on how it is implemented and on the checks that can be carried out. After ten years of campaigning to secure this legal recognition, independent press shops and newsagents are entering a new phase in which the definition of their profession is becoming more precise, but also more demanding.