Retail turnover in the Netherlands increased by 2.6% year on year in July 2024, while sales volumes increased by 2.1%, according to the latest data from the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS, Statistics Netherlands).
Turnover in food and luxury food stores increased by 1.1% in July 2024 compared with the same period last year, while sales volumes were 2.0% lower than a year earlier, the data showed.
Supermarket turnover remained the same as July 2023, while specialty stores registered growth of 9.6% compared to the corresponding period last year.
Non-Food Retail
In the non-food category, turnover grew by 3.4% during the month, while price-adjusted volumes increased by 4.2% year-on-year.
Higher turnover was seen in drugstores, clothing stores, shoe and leather goods stores and DIY (including kitchens and flooring) stores.
In contrast, recreational goods stores, consumer electronics stores and furniture and home furnishings stores saw lower turnover in July, the CBS noted.
E-Commerce
Online sales in the country increased by 10.8% year on year in July, with webshops reporting a 13.6% increase in turnover, the data showed.
In particular, online sales of food and drugstores, consumer electronics stores, clothing stores, and other non-food stores were higher in July 2024 than in July 2023.
Food prices in the Netherlands are projected to remain at their current high level of around 5%, according to the most recent inflation monitor from Rabobank.
The impact of excise and tax increases is expected to continue to affect food prices until at least July next year, along with higher raw material prices and costs incurred due to wage hikes, the bank noted.
