Opening a shop or business

For support with opening a shop or business in Luxembourg City, we recommend you get in touch with these these points of contact.

Horesca

If your project involves opening a restaurant, we recommend that you contact Horesca, the trade federation for hotels, restaurants and cafés in Luxembourg:

For all other advice and support, please consult the relevant section of our website.

Introduction

Any establishment or installation operating in the industrial, commercial or craft sector, whether public or private, and any activity, process or ancillary activity which may present a risk or inconvenience to:

• the integrated control and prevention of pollution from establishments;
• the protection of the health and safety or well-being of the public, local community or staff of these establishments, or the protection of the health and safety of workers in the workplace, as well as the human and natural environment.
• Promoting sustainable development.

Examples

• Class 1: industrial concerns; airports; covered parking garages >250 vehicles; various workshops depending on electrical power, etc.; offices >4,000 m2; hospitals; theatres; conference rooms, performance venues, reception halls and sports halls, night clubs, circuses >500 people; air conditioning when cooling capacity >300 kW; large-scale storage of flammable liquids, etc.;
• Class 2: conference rooms, performance venues, reception halls and sports halls, night clubs, circuses that can hold between 100 and 500 people; various workshops; butcher's shops, bakeries, etc. depending on electrical power; fishmongers, fairground facilities; ten-pin bowling lanes; restaurants >50 people; certain flammable liquid storage sites, etc.;
• Class 3: various workshops and commercial spaces depending on the location; offices between 1,600 and 4,000 m²; hotels; air conditioning
• Class 4: apiaries; covered garages and car parks of 5 to 20 vehicles; stables of 20 to 200 animals; diesel deposits of 300 to 20,000 litres, etc.;

Class 2 establishments in Luxembourg City

These mainly include:

• restaurants that can accommodate more than 50 people (since 1999);
• sports halls, reception halls, conference rooms and centres, ballrooms, dance halls, cinemas, night clubs, theatres, concert halls, exhibition halls, multi-purpose halls, drinking establishments, circuses, except for those for purely educational use in schools, regardless of whether they are in continued or intermittent use in the case of premises designed to accommodate 100–500 people;
• ten-pin bowling lanes (jeux de quilles);
• bakeries, butcher's shops, fishmongers.

The City owns a portfolio of 33 commercial properties (retail shops, restaurants, brasseries, cafés, refreshment bars) in various neighbourhoods that are leased to operators chosen by the Municipal Council following a call for tender.

As soon as a commercial space is available, a call for tender is launched and published below.

Below are a number of municipal regulations that are relevant to starting a business or opening a shop, restaurant or café.