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Wholesale trade

NACE 46
Current registrations 61,464
Starters, 12 months 2,8254.6 per 100 · Belgium 8.9
Bankruptcies, 12 months 4627.5 per 1,000 registrations · Belgium 6.2
Employment (FTE) 202,51710,574 employers · latest accounts
Median age 15.1 yearsBelgium 8.1 years
E-invoicing via Peppol 80.7%49,604 of 61,463 companies in the Peppol Directory · Belgium 85.0%

263 companies file their annual accounts outside the standard format, for example in a sector format. Their figures and staff are missing from the employment, the medians and the largest employers.

Show the 263 companies

Activities

NACE division 46 · 102 activities
Activity Registrations Starters, 12 months Bankruptcies, 12 months FTE
Agents in non-specialised wholesale trade46190 5,954 321 54 2,246
Agents specialised in the wholesale of other particular products46180 4,297 236 38 2,675
Wholesale of other machinery and equipment46649 2,448 62 10 6,549
Wholesale of information and communication equipment46500 2,063 57 4 8,186
Wholesale of cars and light vans (up to 3.5 tonnes)46711 2,059 152 18 8,659
Wholesale of pharmaceutical and medical goods46460 1,862 83 7 17,376
Wholesale of construction materials, general range46831 1,762 43 12 11,691
Agents in the wholesale of furniture, household goods and hardware46150 1,695 46 17 942
Agents in the wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco46170 1,593 82 20 1,777
Non-specialised wholesale trade46900 1,543 113 11 5,748
Wholesale of beverages, general range46349 1,534 96 14 3,570
Wholesale of other food products46389 1,385 85 17 4,888
Show all 102 activities
Activity Registrations Starters, 12 months Bankruptcies, 12 months FTE
Wholesale of clothing, excluding workwear and underwear46423 1,262 50 11 5,433
Agents in the wholesale of textiles, clothing, fur, footwear and leather goods46160 1,247 43 9 808
Wholesale of electrical equipment, including installation materials46643 1,221 36 12 7,993
Wholesale of diamonds and other precious stones46861 1,212 34 15 920
Wholesale of industrial chemicals46851 1,210 39 2 5,331
Wholesale of other household goods46499 1,142 32 4 2,223
Agents in the wholesale of timber and building materials46130 1,107 47 9 760
Wholesale of motor vehicle parts and accessories46720 1,085 48 5 6,018
Agents in the wholesale of industrial machinery, ships and aircraft46140 1,058 51 8 1,403
Wholesale of wines and spirits46341 1,025 71 6 707
Wholesale of electrical household appliances and audio-video equipment46431 963 35 10 3,556
Wholesale of fruit and vegetables, excluding potatoes46319 945 36 8 4,713
Wholesale of live animals46231 931 21 2 668
Wholesale of timber46832 839 18 4 5,118
Wholesale of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels and related products46810 826 44 5 2,868
Wholesale of machine tools46620 815 16 4 6,019
Wholesale trade46610 793 21 0 1,952
Wholesale of perfume and cosmetics46450 774 42 5 2,584
Wholesale of meat and meat products, excluding game and poultry46321 735 19 9 6,912
Wholesale trade46820 718 41 2 1,910
Wholesale of agricultural produce and animal feed, general range46216 682 3 1 2,158
Non-specialised wholesale46392 681 30 5 5,936
Wholesale of household textiles and bedding46412 667 7 5 1,696
Wholesale of non-electrical household articles46494 661 9 9 2,364
Wholesale trade46496 566 16 6 3,188
Wholesale trade46480 548 16 1 486
Wholesale trade46220 535 24 2 1,124
Wholesale trade46120 521 17 2 1,206
Wholesale trade46841 496 12 2 3,220
Wholesale trade46442 463 17 4 1,983
Wholesale trade46842 460 18 2 4,095
Wholesale trade46360 449 20 7 2,930
Wholesale trade46869 422 16 1 1,477
Wholesale trade46872 406 16 7 899
Wholesale trade46110 405 22 2 141
Wholesale trade46370 400 43 4 838
Wholesale trade46331 394 20 0 2,052
Wholesale trade46630 383 12 0 2,121
Wholesale trade46839 381 18 2 982
Wholesale trade46713 327 7 4 1,143
Wholesale trade46492 325 6 3 1,491
Wholesale trade46471 324 17 7 787
Wholesale trade46474 266 9 1 477
Wholesale trade46712 263 16 2 475
Wholesale trade46419 232 12 4 244
Wholesale trade46833 231 9 0 925
Wholesale trade46497 229 22 0 336
Wholesale trade46323 228 11 3 1,154
Wholesale trade46432 222 4 2 1,140
Wholesale trade46391 220 13 2 940
Wholesale trade46495 203 10 4 264
Wholesale trade46493 194 16 1 643
Wholesale trade46382 193 13 0 895
Wholesale trade46425 193 3 0 425
Wholesale trade46421 192 10 0 379
Wholesale trade46646 188 9 0 465
Wholesale trade46411 181 8 4 317
Wholesale trade46322 180 8 0 1,042
Wholesale trade46211 175 9 0 104
Wholesale trade46232 172 4 2 90
Wholesale trade46730 168 15 1 171
Wholesale trade46835 165 12 1 317
Wholesale trade46852 163 8 0 308
Wholesale trade46491 161 6 1 867
Wholesale trade46836 155 3 1 470
Wholesale trade46644 152 6 2 778
Wholesale trade46647 144 3 0 670
Wholesale trade46212 143 8 0 151
Wholesale trade46311 140 6 1 1,054
Wholesale trade46472 130 3 1 184
Wholesale trade46641 130 10 0 89
Wholesale trade46879 125 15 1 126
Wholesale trade46645 116 5 0 245
Wholesale trade46498 114 3 2 738
Wholesale trade46350 98 5 1 428
Wholesale trade46424 94 7 1 73
Wholesale trade46214 76 4 0 111
Wholesale trade46648 69 0 1 65
Wholesale trade46332 68 9 0 159
Wholesale trade46473 63 2 1 68
Wholesale trade46441 60 1 0 76
Wholesale trade46890 59 39 0 6
Wholesale trade46642 56 6 0 158
Wholesale trade46381 53 4 0 158
Wholesale trade46422 41 1 1 40
Wholesale trade46240 31 0 0 32
Wholesale trade46834 28 3 1 101
Wholesale trade46213 24 1 0 8
Wholesale trade46215 21 0 1 23
Wholesale trade46871 18 2 1 8

Filed accounts

NACE division 46 · financial year 2025 · 33,971 filed annual accounts
Median solvency
42.2%
Belgium 46.1%
Median net result
€17,158
Belgium €16,468
Median equity
€206,725
Belgium €98,204
Loss-making
28.8%
Belgium 26.7%
Negative equity
13.5%
Belgium 12.4%
Median return on equity
9.9%
Belgium 15.9%
Median liquidity
1.69
Belgium 1.66
Filed late
39.2%
financial year 2024, 30,946 filings · Belgium 38.5%
Missing or 90 days late
6.4%
of 37,480 companies with annual accounts · Belgium 5.5%
Per financial year20182019202020212022202320242025
Median solvency --37.5%38.8%39.1%40.4%41.5%42.5%
Median net result --€16,072€21,757€19,269€15,975€14,360€14,803
Filed late 40.3%47.7%43.9%43.4%41.7%40.4%39.2%-

Hold your customer's or competitor's figures against them in the Sector benchmark

Staff cost per FTE in NACE division 46

9,634 employers
Median
€64,900
Belgium €61,400
Middle half
€51,300 to €84,500
half of the employers lie between
Place among sectors
44 of 78
sectors with a median staff cost per FTE, highest first
By size class
SizeMedianMiddle halfEmployers
fewer than 10 FTE €60,500 €47,700 to €78,600 6,071
10 to 49 FTE €70,000 €57,700 to €89,100 2,910
50 to 249 FTE €84,000 €67,400 to €119,900 555
250 FTE or more €80,200 €64,700 to €98,300 98

Employers with the highest staff cost per FTE in this division All sectors by staff cost In the Analysis workbench

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies, 5 years, still registered
1,332
2.17% of the registrations · Belgium 1.68%

Bankruptcies per year in division 46

Per year201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Bankruptcies803710738687722486417583541625634425
Jobs lost1,6291,6551,3611,2161,2401,0548901,0299351,3831,271931

2026 through September. Every bankruptcy, also of companies that have since left the register. Source: Statbel (Directorate-General Statistics), NACE classification of 2008.

Recent bankruptcies

Date Company
13-11-2026 BT Fresh
BE 1006.062.917
12-11-2026 La Decora
BE 0742.594.287
12-11-2026 LUGOS
BE 0833.746.375
12-11-2026 SAFANT
BE 0843.926.625
10-11-2026 Colaianni, Silvio
BE 0766.915.454 · sole trader
10-11-2026 DXB Trade
BE 1013.667.420
09-11-2026 Velleman Group
BE 0768.858.127
06-11-2026 RUITERSPORT WATTE
BE 0673.833.462

Every bankruptcy in division 46, last 90 days

Running bankruptcies in the sector

NACE division 46
Number
1,344
Half have run longer than
23 months
Belgium: 20 months
Longer than three years
34%
Belgium: 31%

Measured nationally: Of 108,810 bankruptcies of legal entities across Belgium, 49% were closed within five years for insufficient assets and 29% after liquidation, 3% were withdrawn. After five years, 20% were still open. Half had ended after 26 months (a quarter after 15, three quarters after 51 months).

This counts companies with this main activity in the register on 14 November 2026. The outcome itself is not measured by sector. The activity of a company that leaves the register after its bankruptcy is too often not kept to compare closed cases fairly.

Outcome by court and division

Spread across the country

by region and province · 50,035 of 61,464 enterprises with a registered office on file · a sole trader has no published seat
  • Flanders 29,940 · 59.8%
  • Wallonia 9,489 · 19.0%
  • Brussels 4,628 · 9.2%
  • Abroad 5,978 · 11.9%
fewer moremax 9,640

This sector's balance sheets on the map, by municipality and down to the address

Largest employers

NACE division 46 · staff from the latest accounts
  1. 1 TOYOTA MOTOR EUROPEEvere 2,787 FTEfinancial year 2026
  2. 2 UCB PHARMAAnderlecht 1,961 FTEfinancial year 2025
  3. 3 DECATHLON BELGIUMEvere 1,734 FTEfinancial year 2025
  4. 4 ACTIEFLummen 1,570 FTEfinancial year 2025
  5. 5 H & M HENNES & MAURITZBrussels 1,318 FTEfinancial year 2025

Joint committees

from the latest accounts of 13,507 companies
  • 200 Auxiliary committee for white-collar workers 7,304
  • 201 Independent retail 1,892
  • 119 Food trade 1,387
  • 149.04 Metal trade 1,375
  • 100 Auxiliary committee for blue-collar workers 1,156
  • 207 White-collar workers in the chemical industry 906
  • 124 Construction 555
  • 116 Chemical industry 532
Show the 12 others
  • 112 Garages 433
  • 149.01 Electricians: installation and distribution 424
  • 209 White-collar workers in metal manufacturing 363
  • 226 White-collar workers in international trade, transport and logistics 291
  • 111 Metal, mechanical and electrical engineering 289
  • 220 White-collar workers in the food industry 289
  • 215 White-collar workers in the clothing and garment industry 258
  • 149 Sectors related to metal, mechanical and electrical engineering 239
  • 118 Food industry 224
  • 109 Clothing and garment industry 214
  • 126 Furnishing and woodworking 202
  • 302 Hotels and catering 158

Source: the annual accounts at the National Bank. One filing can name more than one committee.

Foreign control in NACE division 46

45,453 registered companies
Companies with a foreign parent
2.0%
907 of 45,453; Belgium 0.3%
Staff at those companies
25%
49,928 of 202,517 FTE; Belgium 14%

Main parent countries: Netherlands (206), Germany (128) and France (118).Show on the map by municipality

Subsidies in this sector

per register · legal entities with an enterprise number
  • Flemish subsidies €266.7m awarded 6,710 recipients · 2022 to 2025 · largest: Dienstencheques
  • Wallonia-Brussels Federation €1.3m paid 17 recipients · 2021 to 2025 · largest: Conventions et contrats programmes indexés dans le domaine des centres culturels
  • Federal transfers 21.5m amount as published 14 recipients · 2023 to 2025 · largest: Ondersteuning aan de bijdrage van de organisaties van de civiele maatschappij en institutionele actoren in de realisatie van de doelen van de gemeenschappelijke strategische kaders (cf. art. 2.14.6 en 2.14.10 van de wetsbepalingen)
  • EU budget €531.5m attributed share 96 recipients · 2021 to 2025 · largest: Information and communication technology
  • EU research €52.9m EU contribution 83 recipients · 2007 to 2027 · largest: Horizon 2020

Explore every recipient in this sector

Insights on Wholesale trade

Balance sheet and result. Return on equity of 9.9% is below Belgium's 15.9%.

Bankruptcies. In 12 months, 7.5 of 1,000 companies went bankrupt, against 6.2 in Belgium. That is more than in 78% of the 87 other NACE divisions. The median bankruptcy probability of 0.3% is above Belgium's 0.2%. By size, the median bankruptcy probability is 0.4% at under 10 FTE, 0.2% at 10 to 49 FTE, 0.2% at 50 to 249 FTE and 0.3% at 250 FTE or more.

Inflow and structure. Half of the companies are younger than 15.1 years, against 8.1 years in Belgium. 18.5% of the companies are sole traders, against 41.6% in Belgium. In 12 months, 4.6 of 100 companies started, against 8.9 in Belgium. That is fewer than in 73% of the 86 other NACE divisions.

Staff and filing. The 5 largest employers hold 9,370 of the 202,517 FTE: 4.6%.

Direction. Median solvency rose from 37.5% in financial year 2020 to 42.5% in financial year 2025. In 2025, Statbel counted 634 bankruptcies and 1,271 jobs lost, against 486 bankruptcies in 2020.

The comparison with Belgium as a whole and with the other divisions is as of 14-11-2026 05:30.

Method and sources

Every company registered today counts under its main activities in the KBO. Establishment units do not count. Staff counts once, under the employer's first main activity, from its latest accounts and only where it fits the staff costs. The count follows the NACE 2025 classification, the version in which code 46 exists.

The bankruptcies over five years count only companies still registered today, because the activity of a company that left the register is not kept. So they are fewer than the bankruptcies of those years, and the figure is not a probability for the future. Over twelve months the count is nearly complete, because a bankrupt company stays registered while its bankruptcy runs. A company with more than one main activity counts in each of those sectors.

The comparison with Belgium as a whole and with the other NACE divisions rests on an overview of every division, counted again each night. Each division is counted in the version of the NACE classification in which it exists. A standing such as "more than in 80%" compares with the other divisions that have the figure. A division's bankruptcy probability is the median over its companies with a score. Belgium here counts the 1,276,430 companies with a main activity, because only those belong to a division. The other 700,464 registrations publish no activity.

Each median is the value of the middle company, computed over the annual accounts of financial year 2025, and is shown only from 30 accounts. A share (loss-making, negative equity) counts that year's accounts with that trait. Accounts are late when they are filed after the statutory deadline. Missing or 90 days late counts the companies with accounts missing today, or whose latest were filed more than 90 days after the deadline. The dossier follows the same rule.

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