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The short answer
Sint-Niklaas pays a starter grant of up to 10,000 euros for a new retail or hospitality business in the focus area of the town centre, and up to 3,500 euros in the cores of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas and Sinaai. Stop within three years and you pay it back. Since 1 January 2026 the regulation has been temporarily extended until a new one is ready.
Sint-Niklaas, with 83,400 inhabitants the main town of the Waasland region between Ghent and Antwerp, wants fewer empty shops in its centre and a good mix of businesses in its core. To get there the city has a set of premiums to strengthen its cores: a starter grant, a relocation premium and a subsidy for cooperation between entrepreneurs. If you open a shop or a restaurant in the right zone, you can count on one of the highest starter grants in Flanders.
This guide explains how much the grant is, who it is for, what you pay back if you stop, and how to apply. It is written for founders who are new to Belgium: the city's pages and forms are in Dutch, and where a Dutch term is the one you will need, we give it.
How much the grant is
| Zone | Starter grant | Relocation premium, tenant | Relocation premium, owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus area in the town centre | up to 10,000 euros | 50 percent of six months' rent, up to 5,000 euros | 5,000 euros |
| Cores of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas and Sinaai | up to 3,500 euros | 50 percent of six months' rent, up to 2,500 euros | 2,500 euros |
The amount of the starter grant is a maximum. The city calculates it on fixed criteria: does your business fit the desired mix of shops and experience, does it add to the spatial quality of the street, and how committed are you to activities that strengthen the centre. A concept that adds something to the street scores higher than a fourth similar shop.
The relocation premium is for anyone who already runs a retail or hospitality business outside the focus area or the village cores and moves it inside. For that you must score at least half on the same criteria.
Who it is for
- Your main activity is retail or hospitality,as registered in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO). Hospitality includes accommodation.
- You occupy a retail unit in the focus areaor in the core of a sub-municipality. The zone maps are on the city's website.
- You open a new businessThe starter grant aims to encourage entrepreneurs to open a new business that fits the desired mix.
- You stay three yearsStop earlier and the city reclaims the grant.
| Business stops during | Repayment |
|---|---|
| the first year | 100 percent |
| the second year | 50 percent |
| the third year | 25 percent |
How to apply
- Check that your unit is inside the zone, on the maps of the focus area and of the cores of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas and Sinaai.
- Read the subsidy regulation for the core-strengthening premiums and the assessment criteria.
- Write your business plan and an overview of your opening days and hours; both are required with the application.
- Fill in the online application form with your lease or deed of purchase and an extract from the KBO.
- Expect an assessment. The amount depends on the criteria; the city's business department (dienst Ondernemen) on the Grote Markt tells you what you get.
The regulation is being replaced
Since 1 January 2026 the city has said it is working on a new premium regulation that puts more weight on coaching and guidance. Until that is ready, the current regulation is temporarily extended, so entrepreneurs with plans can prepare their application. What that means for you: the premiums exist today, but it is not certain they will stay in the same form. If you open in the coming months, apply quickly; if you start later, check the regulation again when you sign.
Working with other entrepreneurs
Beside the starter grant, Sint-Niklaas co-funds cooperation. A project group of at least three traders, hospitality operators or service providers that together work out a project promoting Sint-Niklaas as a shopping, hospitality or business town gets up to 75 percent of its costs back, with a maximum of 3,000 euros excluding VAT per project. For a starter it is a way to link your opening to an action with your neighbours.
What other cities give is in the register of our guide to starter grants in Flanders; what is left in Ghent after the cuts, in starter grant in Ghent. If you also renovate the building, look at the shop front grants of other cities.
The premiums per zone
Where your shop is decides what you get
- Village coresBelsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, Sinaai3,500euros starter grant, maximumRelocation premium up to 2,500 euros. Here too, only retail and hospitality.
- Together with othersat least three traders, hospitality or service businesses3,000euros per project, 75 percentFor a joint project that promotes Sint-Niklaas as a shopping and hospitality city.
Amounts are maximums; the city calculates them on criteria such as the mix in the street and your commitment to the centre.
Worked example: a delicatessen in the town centre
Take a delicatessen opening in the focus area, and say it scores the maximum on the criteria.
| What | Amount |
|---|---|
| Starter grant, focus area | 10,000 euros |
| Business stops after 8 months | 10,000 euros to pay back |
| Business stops after 20 months | 5,000 euros to pay back |
| Business stops after 30 months | 2,500 euros to pay back |
| Business stays open three years | nothing to pay back |
Put that repayment in your financial plan. The grant supports those who stay; it is not start-up capital for those who just give it a try.
What goes into your business plan
The city assesses your application on the mix in the street, spatial quality and your commitment to the centre. A plan that answers those scores better:
| Part | What you describe |
|---|---|
| Your concept | what you sell or serve, for whom, and what it adds to what the town offers |
| Your premises | where it is, how it will look, what you do to the window and the front |
| Your opening hours | days and hours, on Saturdays and during events too |
| Your commitment | whether you join actions of the traders, the city or a cooperation project |
| Your figures | what you expect to sell and what your costs are in the first three years |
You write the plan in Dutch. If you think in English first, draft it in English and have it translated; a clear plan in good Dutch reads better to the city than a long one in poor Dutch.
Elsewhere in the Waasland
Sint-Niklaas is not the only town in the region that supports traders. Lokeren pays 60 percent of the renovation of a shop or restaurant building in its retail core, up to 5,000 euros, for the shop front, living above the shop or making a unit fit for use. The overview of such grants is in our guide to shop front grants in Flanders.
When to apply
Because the regulation is only extended until a new one is ready, it pays not to delay your application. If you have a lease or a deed and a plan, file it. If you wait until a new regulation applies, the amounts and conditions may differ, with more weight on coaching and guidance and possibly less on money. Ask the business department on the Grote Markt where things stand when you sign.
What the grant does not do
Ten thousand euros covers part of your fit-out or a few months of rent. You still have to win customers. In Sint-Niklaas people find a shop on Google Maps and Instagram, and the Grote Markt and shopping streets are busiest around the big events and the Sunday shopping days. What to get ready before you open:
- A Google Business Profilewith your address, your hours and photos, online before you open. How that works: create a Google Business Profile.
- A simple sitewith your offer, your hours and how customers reach you. What that costs is in our website cost calculator; if you are starting alone, also see web design for freelancers.
- A reason to comein your first weeks: an opening with your neighbours, a tasting, an offer for the first customers. How to announce it on Instagram: how to use social media for business.
If you also want customers from Antwerp, about half an hour away, there is more on that market on our page about a marketing agency in Antwerp.
Unsure whether your business fits the mix? Ask the business department beforehand.
Questions about the grant in Sint-Niklaas
How much is the starter grant in Sint-Niklaas?
Up to 10,000 euros for a business in the focus area of the town centre and up to 3,500 euros in the cores of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas and Sinaai. The exact amount depends on the assessment criteria.
Does a hairdresser or an office qualify?
The starter grant is for businesses whose main activity is retail or hospitality. A service provider can join a cooperation project with traders.
Do I have to pay the grant back if I stop?
Yes, if you stop within three years: all of it in the first year, half in the second and a quarter in the third.
Will the grant still exist after 2026?
The city is working on a new regulation with more weight on coaching and guidance. Until that is approved, the current regulation stays temporarily extended.