Food retail sales fell by 1.8% in the Netherlands in October 2024, compared to the same period a year earlier, new data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) has revealed.
Overall, retail turnover went up by 2.0% in October, with sales volumes rising by 0.6%.
Non-food retail turnover rose by 4.2% in the period, while online turnover was 5.6% higher than in the same month a year earlier, the statistics body noted.
Food Retail Volumes
With regard to food retail specifically (which also includes luxury goods), sales volumes were 5.4% lower than a year ago. Supermarket turnover went down by 2.9%, while the turnover of specialty stores was 6.3% higher.
Non-food retail reported a 3.7% rise in sales volumes in October, with categories such as consumer electronics, recreational goods, DIY supplies, drugstores and clothing all seeing growth. On the other hand, sectors like shoes and leather goods, as well as furniture and home furnishings, experienced declines.
With regard to online, web shops alone grew by 8.5% and multichannel retailers saw a 1.5% uptick. Categories including food, drugstores, and consumer electronics recorded online growth, while online clothing sales declined by 1.8% in the period.
Hospitality Industry Performance
Separate data from CBS indicated that the hospitality industry in the Netherlands reported a 4.6% increase in turnover in the third quarter of 2024, compared to the same period last year.
This growth was evenly distributed between accommodation services and food-and-beverage establishments, which both saw a 4.9% rise, the data showed.
Boosted by favourable weather in August, growth in the third quarter outpaced that of the second quarter, which saw a 2.7% year-on-year increase.
