Turnover in the Dutch retail trade was 4.1% higher in the second quarter of the year, compared to last year, with supermarket turnover rising by 4.7%, according to the latest data from CBS, the Dutch national statistics body.
This marks the highest quarterly sales growth for the sector since 2009, CBS said.
Speciality Outlets
While supermarkets have seen growth, however, food specialty shops such as butchers, greengrocers, cheers shops and liquor stores have found the going tougher, with a 0.1% decline in the second quarter, following a 2.2% drop in Q1.
Compared with the second quarter of 2008, ten years ago, these specialty stores now have more than 11% less turnover.
Online Sales
Online retailers experienced solid growth in the second quarter, the statistics showed, with sales up 18.7% in the second quarter, compared to the same period a year ago.
As in the first quarter of the year, online sales growth is higher than that of physical stores.
The retail sector at large is suffering from a staff shortage, according to CBS' findings, with some 14% of supermarkets and department stores saying they felt they were low on staff as of the end of the second quarter.
In terms of web-based stores, this figure is as high as 18%.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
