No recovery retail sales

• Retail trade 1 percent higher in fourth quarter
• Lower turnover non-food shops
• No turnover growth for retail trade sector in December

In the fourth quarter of this year, retail sales were 1.0 percent higher than in the same period in 2009. Retail prices were 1.5 percent higher than last year. Retail volume shrank. According to Statistics Netherlands, there are no apparent signs of recovery.

Non-food shops faced 1.0 percent turnover loss in the fourth quarter compared to the fourth quarter of 2009. Home furnishing shop sales dropped dramatically. Chemist shops and household appliances shops, on the other hand, achieved better results. Online non-food retail shops performed better (more than 14 percent higher turnover) than traditional non-food shops.

Food shop sales improved in the fourth quarter. With nearly 3 percent higher sales, supermarkets entirely accounted for the increase. Specialised food, drinks and tobacco shops had a lower turnover in the fourth quarter.

Retail turnover hardly improved in December compared to last year. Possibly, the harsh winter conditions in December played a part in this respect. The non-food sector faced turnover loss in December relative to one year ago. Sales improved obviously in supermarkets. December’s sales figures were affected positively by the more favourable shopping-day pattern. After correction for these effects, retail turnover shrank by approximately 1 percent.