Retail turnover up in third quarter

• Turnover up for non-food shops after seven quarters of decrease
• Food shops also book higher turnover
• Retail turnover up 3 percent in September

Figures released by Statistics Netherlands today show that Dutch retailers realised 1.4 percent more turnover in the third quarter of 2010 than in the same period last year. Prices were higher than twelve months previously, while the volume of sales remained about the same. The turnover increase in the retail sector comes after six successive quarters of decrease.

Non-food shops realised 0.4 percent more turnover in the third quarter of 2010. In the seven previous quarters the non-food sector had suffered from decreasing turnover figures. Within the non-food sector, turnover of shops selling consumer electronics and household items grew by most. Do-it-yourself stores and shops selling home furnishings had a lower turnover than twelve months previously.

For food shops, too, turnover was higher in the third quarter. Higher prices, in particular, pushed up turnover by 2.0 percent compared with the same period last year. The volume of sales was also slightly higher. Supermarkets account entirely for the increase in turnover. Specialist shops selling food items, drinks and tobacco booked less turnover.

However, it is internet retailers who showed the biggest leap in turnover in the third quarter. Turnover for Dutch web shops rose by 15 percent. In the first two quarters of 2010, too, online retailers realised the largest turnover increases within the retail sector.

In September 2010, retail turnover was 2.9 percent higher than in the same month last year. The growth was affected positively by a more favourable shopping-day pattern in September 2010 than September 2009. If this effect is corrected for, the growth falls to 2 percent.