You run a restaurant, a chip shop, a snack bar or a bakery in Luxembourg, and your consumables cost too much: bags, cones, gloves, paper, bin bags. Buying from a Belgian wholesaler less than two hours away changes two things — the purchase price, and the way VAT is handled on your invoice. Here is how it works in practice.
Ordering from Belgium when you are based in Luxembourg
The Grand Duchy imports most of its hospitality consumables. A Belgian supplier is not a complicated « foreign » supplier: this is an intra-Community supply, a standard mechanism within the European Union. The table below sums up what changes compared with buying from a local reseller.
| Point | Buying from a reseller in Luxembourg | Buying from a Belgian wholesaler |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | Reseller price: it includes the margin of one more intermediary | Wholesale price straight from the importer, with no intermediate step |
| VAT on the invoice | Luxembourg VAT charged, then deducted in your return | Invoice excluding VAT if your Luxembourg VAT number is valid: this is the reverse charge, you account for the VAT yourself |
| What you must provide | Nothing in particular | Your Luxembourg VAT number, checked in the European Commission's VIES database |
| Distance from the warehouse | Varies | Fernelmont (province of Namur): around 120 km from Luxembourg City |
| Range | Often limited to the reseller's catalogue | Kraft packaging, hygiene, paper, gloves, bin bags, tableware |
The reverse charge is a standard European mechanism. The exact details of your return are a matter for your accountant or the Luxembourg tax administration (AED): this table describes the principle, not your particular situation.
The consumables that weigh most in a hospitality budget
Over a year, it is not the big purchases that eat into the margin, but the consumables reordered every month. Three items come up every time.
Recycled kraft carrier bags F&G 32 x 21 x 30 cm
The kraft carrier bag replaces the plastic bag banned for takeaway. Size 32 x 21 x 30 cm, 70 g recycled paper, flat handle: it carries a full meal without tearing under grease.
- Pack: 250 units
- €26.98 excl. VAT per box, that is €0.108 per unit
- Own brand F&G — imported directly, with no intermediary
Kraft pasta cup 750 ml (26 oz)
The format that reshaped takeaway: pasta, chips, wok, poke. Kraft holds the heat and absorbs condensation, where plastic makes the dish sweat.
- Pack: 500 units
- €57.00 excl. VAT per box, that is €0.114 per unit
- Capacity 750 ml (26 oz), suitable for takeaway and delivery
Blue disposable nitrile gloves F&G
Powder-free and latex-free: the combination that avoids allergic reactions in the kitchen while staying food-contact compliant. Blue is spotted immediately if one falls into a preparation.
- Pack: 10 boxes of 100 units
- €43.90 excl. VAT per carton, that is €0.044 per unit
- Size M — S, L and XL also available
What a wholesaler-importer changes for your margin
📦 Price straight from the maker
The F&G ranges are imported by full lorry loads straight from the factories. Every intermediate step removed shows up in your purchase price.
🚚 One single order
Packaging, hygiene, paper, gloves and bin bags from one supplier: one delivery, one invoice, one contact instead of four.
📋 Permanent stock
The common references are held in stock in Fernelmont. Running out of packaging mid-service costs more than the price of the box.
The questions to ask before changing supplier
Changing your consumables supplier is not a small matter: your daily service depends on it. Four points deserve a written answer.
- Is the price per box or per unit? A price per box cannot be compared while pack sizes differ. Bring everything back to the unit price.
- Which references are genuinely in stock? A broad catalogue is worthless if half of it is on three weeks' lead time.
- What is the real lead time to Luxembourg? Ask for a measured lead time, not an advertised one.
- Is the invoice correctly issued excluding VAT? With a valid Luxembourg VAT number, an invoice charging Belgian VAT makes you front a sum you will have to reclaim.
These criteria apply in Belgium too: we set them out in our grid of 7 measurable criteria for choosing a hospitality supplier. On lead times and stockouts, see also how to avoid running out of packaging. And for wholesale prices by product family, our guide to trade prices puts a figure on each item.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Luxembourg restaurant order from a Belgian wholesaler?
Yes. This is an intra-Community supply, provided for by European law. You supply a valid Luxembourg VAT number, which can be checked in the European Commission's VIES database. Without a valid number, Belgian VAT must be charged.
Is the invoice with or without VAT?
Without VAT, where the Luxembourg VAT number is valid and the goods genuinely leave Belgium. You then account for the VAT in Luxembourg under the reverse charge. Your accountant will confirm the exact entries.
What is the lead time to Luxembourg?
The warehouse is in Fernelmont, province of Namur, around 120 km from Luxembourg City. The lead time depends on the availability of the references and on the carrier: ask for it for your order, it is given before you confirm.
Do I have to order large volumes?
Products are ordered by the box, not by the pallet: 250 carrier bags, 500 cones, 1,000 gloves. A snack bar can therefore restock without tying up cash or filling an entire store room.
Which consumables are covered?
Kraft food packaging (bags, cones, salad bowls, soup cups, drink cups), hygiene and paper (hand towels, toilet paper, wiping rolls), nitrile gloves, bin bags and tableware. GL Distribution is a wholesaler-importer of consumables: kitchen equipment is not its trade, with the exception of professional refrigeration and Hoshizaki ice machines.
A quote for your business in Luxembourg
Packaging, hygiene, paper, gloves and bin bags at wholesale prices, delivered from Fernelmont.
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