Retail turnover 6.4 percent down

• Turnover decline 5 percent over first eleven months of 2009
• Fewer shopping days have downward effect on November’s turnover

The latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands show that retail turnover dropped by 6.4 percent in November 2009 relative to the same month one year previously. Turnover volume shrank by 6.9 percent, retail prices rose 0.6 percent. November’s shopping day pattern had a negative impact on turnover in the retail sector. After correction for this effect, sales tallied with previous months.

At the outset of the economic crisis in October 2008, retail turnover remained fairly stable, but subsequently the recession also became tangible in the retail sector. Over the first eleven months of 2009, retail turnover dropped 5.1 percent relative to the same period in 2008.

Supermarkets faced 2.1 percent loss of turnover in November. Turnover over the first eleven months was 1.5 percent higher, whereas turnover volume declined by 0.8 percent compared to the same period in 2008. Turnover of specialised food shops decreased 5.6 percent in November. Retail sales of food, drinks and tobacco were 2.5 percent down in November. If the shopping day pattern is taken into account, turnover in the food sector was marginally higher.

In clothes shops, consumer electronics shops and DIY shops, sales were more than 11 percent down on November 2008. Chemist shops achieved a marginally positive result. In the entire non-food sector, turnover slumped by 10.5 percent.