No recovery for sector hotels and restaurants

• Cafeterias perform poorly in first quarter
• Turnover restaurants and public houses drops dramatically

In the first quarter of 2010, turnover of the sector hotels and restaurants slumped by nearly 6 percent relative to the same quarter one year previously. The decline is in the same order of magnitude as in 2009. The price increase averaged 2 percent. According to the latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands, the volume of sales over the first quarter was 7.6 percent down on one year previously.

Last year, cafeterias were the only branch within the sector to realise a modest turnover growth. In the first quarter of 2010, their turnover declined by 3 percent, prices in cafeterias increased by an average of 2.3 percent. The volume of sales generated by cafeterias fell by 5.2 percent in the first quarter of this year.
The results achieved by hotels improved relative to last year, but turnover dropped by 4.4 percent in the first quarter compared to one year previously.

The most substantial loss of turnover was recorded for restaurants and public houses. Turnover realised by restaurants slumped by 7.4 percent relative to one year previously.
Prices charged in restaurants rose 2 percent. The volume of sales fell by 9.2 percent. With 10.3 percent, the volume of sales generated in public houses dropped most sharply. As prices rose by 3.4 percent, pub turnover dropped by 7.3 percent.