Brussels is set to lose another of its cherished institutions with the closure of Cook & Book, a bookshop and restaurant in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
Cook & Book opened its doors more than 20 years ago, offering customers a unique shopping and dining experience.
Located in a sprawling, supermarket-sized building near Roodebeek metro station, the store is divided into nine bookshops, each with a different theme.
The English section, decorated in the style of a gentleman’s club, is particularly eye-catching.
Customers are able to not only browse through the books, but sit down and enjoy a restaurant meal, with dining tables set up throughout the store.
Dozens of job losses
This week, La Libre Belgique reported that Cook & Book is set to go out of business after failing to find a buyer.
On Wednesday, the only buyer in the running to take over the business withdrew shortly before a hearing at the Brussels company court.
The would-be buyer did not make an offer because he had been unable to reach an agreement for the lease of the premises, which belong to the municipality.
"I received an offer to take over part of the staff and the assets, but in the absence of an agreement on the conclusion of a new commercial lease with the municipality, the candidate withdrew his offer. I therefore requested that the PRJ be terminated by transfer at today's hearing", said the buyer’s legal representative, Emmanuelle Bouillon.
Twenty-two employees and 30 students are set to lose their jobs as a result of the company’s collapse.
News of Cook & Book’s closure was met with dismay by customers.
Writing on Facebook, one woman said: “It was a great place, pleasant, tastefully done by passionate people, with good food...Filigranes bought out, Cook and Book bankrupt - who's next?”
In April 2024, the store’s Uccle branch closed, with the owner citing rising costs and challenges in the retail sector.
