The building that housed the famous Cook & Book store in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert is set to reopen in the summer of 2026 with multiple businesses operating on the site, Belga News Agency reports.
The owner of Cook & Book declared bankruptcy in June, resulting in job losses for 22 employees and 30 students.
Located in a sprawling, supermarket-sized building near Roodebeek metro station, the store was divided into nine bookshops, each with a different theme.
Customers could browse through the books, then sit down and enjoy a restaurant meal, with dining tables set up throughout the store. News of the store’s closure was met with dismay by customers.
‘A place of activity for young people’
Thankfully, hope is on the horizon for the premises, which is owned by the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
At a council meeting on Thursday evening, Mayor Olivier Maingain promised to make the site “a real place of activity for young people".
The premises is divided into two blocks. According to Maingain, Block A, on the Cours Paul-Henri Spaak side, will house a catering establishment and a bookstore.
Block B, meanwhile, will largely be allocated to the Temps Libre children’s activity centre, which has been seeking to expand for some time.
Learning from past mistakes
The site requires significant refurbishments before it reopens in 2026.
"We have noticed rental wear and tear, but also an intention to cause harm: some cables have been cut flush with the walls," said the mayor. The cost of the restoration is estimated at €250,000.
The municipality has promised to learn from the mistakes of the past. According to the council, the owners of Cook & Book owed them more than €500,000 in rent arrears and it has not yet recovered all of its debts.
The mayor said his objective was to “revive this iconic location...while ensuring healthier management than in the past”.
He added: "There is no longer any question of having a single operator. We are going to focus on a diversity of businesses.”
If the restoration work and administrative procedures go smoothly, a new call for applications will be launched in 2026.
