Retail turnover up 3 percent

• Ups and downs within non-food

• Higher turnover for supermarkets

The Dutch retail sector realised 3.1 percent more turnover in April this year than in the same month last year. Prices rose by 2 percent. The volume of sales grew by just over 1 percent. Turnover levels were pushed up by a more favourable pattern of shopping days in April this year than last year. After correction for this effect, they were hardly higher than last year. The largest increase in turnover was for Internet retailers and mail order companies. Their turnover rose by just over 20 percent according to figures from Statistics Netherlands.

Overall, non-food retailers booked 1 percent more turnover in April than twelve months previously. Within the non-food sector, there were increases and decreases. Stores selling consumer electronics and stores selling household items increased their takings by 10 percent. Shops selling clothes, shoes, bicycles and garden equipment, on the other hand, booked significantly less turnover than one year ago. The fact that April 2008 was cooler and less sunny than in 2007 probably contributed to this.

Shops selling food, drink and tobacco products increased turnover by nearly 6 percent. Nearly all of this increase was realised by supermarkets. Turnover in specialist food shops decreased.