Retail trade in the Netherlands - statistics & facts

Key retail figures

As of 2019, there were more than 260,000 wholesale and retail trade enterprises located on Dutch soil. This is approximately twice the number of enterprises found in the neighboring country of Belgium. During that year, these Dutch wholesale and retail companies generated a total of over 715 billion euros of turnover, which was the highest turnover generated in the Netherlands during the measured period. One year later, in 2020, the country’s wholesale and retail trade turnover had dropped back down to an estimated 690 billion euros.

Over the past couple of years, i.e., over the course of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, certain industries fared better than others. For instance, clothing and shoe stores in the Netherlands suffered considerable retail sales losses during the first year of the pandemic, however, these branches managed to bounce back to an extent in 2021. In contrast, annual retail sales of furniture and consumer electronic outlets dropped by around ten percent. Overall, total retail sales across the country increased by roughly three percent in 2021, compared to the previous year.

Food retail in the Netherlands

At around 22,000, the number of food retailers in the Netherlands has remained fairly stable since 2017. Many of these food retailers are part of larger franchises: from Aldi and Dirk, to Hoogvliet and Spar, Dutch consumers have many options at their disposal. That being said, the most commonly found food retail chains in the country were Albert Heijn and Jumbo. Respectively, these companies accounted for approximately 36 and 22 percent of the Dutch food retail market.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.