Brussels food hall operator Wolf Sharing Food Market has formally denied any connection with other food markets, including Fox, Bortier, and the recently launched food hall Ratz.
In a statement sent to The Brussels Times, Wolf said it wishes to "officially distance" itself from the three other projects and asked journalists to correct previous references suggesting a connection.
The clarification centres on the history of the venture and the evolution of its shareholding.
Paul and Michel Haelterman, shareholders in several companies, including HLS, Carlsberg Importers, VASCA and Tao Family, purchased the former CGER headquarters on Wolvengracht in 2017 to develop a food market.
They subsequently partnered with Pascal Van Hamme and Thierry Goor to create Wolf Sharing Food Market.
However, according to the statement, that partnership ended in 2022. Since then, Van Hamme and Goor have had no involvement in Wolf, either at the shareholder or operational level.
"There has been no link since 2022 between Wolf and Pascal Van Hamme and Thierry Goor, nor with their recent projects Ratz, Bortier and Fox," the company said.
Wolf added that it has, for several years been led by chief executive Sebastiaan Van de Voorde, supported by its own team and operating under what it describes as a clear and independent structure.
The initiatives Fox, Bortier and Ratz, which have attracted media coverage in recent weeks, are, according to Wolf, entirely separate ventures.
The company said it understood that the food market sector is "dynamic and evolving", but stressed that accurate information is paramount for both operators.
The clarification highlights the increasingly competitive and crowded nature of Brussels' food market scene, where shared industry backgrounds can lead to confusion.
