In contrast to inner-city entrepreneurs and the cultural sector, catering entrepreneur Ronald Obbes notices that things are going in the right direction in his sector. “We are above the level of 2019, it is almost the feet out.”
To get the Asser city center back on track, the municipality announced a ‘booster shot’ of four tons this week. The amount is available for activities in the city center, strengthening cooperation between entrepreneurs, supporting entrepreneurship and extra communication towards residents and visitors.
According to Vosjan, this money is more than welcome. “The money from the booster shot is intended to get the city center back in our mindset to get. You have to help people over a threshold and actively communicate, because you organize beautiful things, but people have to know that.” The city center director mainly sees that fashion stores are still having a hard time. He expects that it will take three to five years before the visitor numbers of 2019 are reached again.
Despite the storm again in the catering industry, Obbes sees other problems, such as the staff shortage. “You cannot bid against jobs in the care sector and the government, while qualitative personnel is important, also in order to compete. Staying sharp is also important: it is not the case that you open the doors and people pouring in”, the owner of Grand Café ‘t Wapen remains vigilant.