Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hot weather is lowering turnout at Hasselt’s Tuesday market. Vendors like Tim Wellens, Ruben Martens, and Patrick Lenaerts adapt with cooling systems and shorter hours.
As VRT News reported, the Tuesday market in Hasselt is seeing fewer people these days. Many people think it’s because of the hot summer weather. Tim Wellens, who runs Vis Express, is making sure his fish stays good.
He gets to the market early to get ready before the heat starts. He also leaves early to avoid the hottest part of the day. Wellens spent money on new technology to keep his fish stall in good shape during the heat. He now has 2 cooling systems that keep the fish at a steady 5°C.
How are Hasselt market vendors coping with extreme heat?
According to Wellens, even with his changes, he sees that customers are buying different things. People don’t want to cook fish in the hot weather. They prefer cold seafood like shrimp, which is easier to eat in summer. He mentioned that they might need new equipment, different hours, or new products to keep their businesses going in this changing world.
They are trying to change the way they work while still keeping their products fresh and their regular customers happy. At the stall of farm butcher Mattes from Alken, they have put up plexiglass cover plates behind the cooling section. Ruben Martens, who works at the stall, says it helps a little, but not enough.
He explains that once the temperature goes above 35 degrees, the plexiglass does not really help anymore. Because of the high heat, Martens has chosen to stop work earlier than usual today, July 1, 2025. He also plans to close the stall’s awning before noon. He knows that working in this kind of heat later in the day is not possible. It becomes too hot to work properly and safely.
“The risk of contamination is too great with these temperatures,”
Says Martens, who sees his sales drop during a heat wave like this.
“On weekends, the barbecues are lit en masse, but during the week, people don’t really know what to eat in this weather.”
Patrick Lenaerts from Patjes burgers is working hard at the Dusartplein. The area around his grill gets even hotter than the already scorching outside temperature. He wants to make sure his regular customers can still get their food, so he doesn’t close.
He mentioned that the heat does affect his business, though; he sells about half as much on days like this. Despite the challenges, Lenaerts and other market vendors know they have to keep going, no matter what the weather brings.
