Removal companies in the lift after crisis in the transport sector
Removal companies realised almost 6 percent more turnover in the first quarter of 2015 than in the same quarter of 2014. This meant that turnover increased for six quarters in a row. No other sector has yet realised so many quarters of turnover increases since the economic crisis. This is shown in the publication Transport and mobility which addresses the consequences of the economic downturn for the transport sector.
The positive developments in the removal sector are closely related to developments in the housing market. Few sectors were so hard hit by the crisis as removal companies, which saw their incomes dip from the moment the crisis started until 2013.
It became difficult for consumers to obtain mortgages. Fewer houses were constructed and the existing housing market saw sales dwindle. The demand for the services of removal companies bottomed out, both in project and private removals. It took until the end of 2013 for the trend to become positive again.The recovery of the removal sector lags behind the transport sector, as turnover in 2014 was still 24 percent lower than in 2008.
Courier services
Goods bought online are often delivered by couriers to the consumers, collecting points or other companies. This is manifest in the turnover of courier services, which has been increasing for four years in a row. Turnover levels in 2014 were about 23 percent higher than in 2010. The courier sector employs over 30 thousand people.
Consumers increasingly shop online, which is also manifest in the activities of mail order companies and web stores. Their turnover has been increasing every quarter since 2010. More and more shops now have physical and online sales channels. Total retail turnover fell during this period.
Crisis in the transport sector
In 2008 the economy took a hit because of the crisis. Turnover in the transport sector fell by almost 13 percent in 2009, the largest dip in many years. Freight volumes and freight tariffs fell sharply as international trade and industrial activity diminished and construction was stuck in a rut. The largest branch in the transport sector, goods transport by road, saw its turnover fall by nearly 12 percent in 2009. This branch employs 130 thousand people. In international transport the competition by foreign companies rose sharply, putting even more pressure on turnover developments. Only in 2014 did the turnover of road haulage companies return to pre-crisis levels.
Source: Publication Transport and mobility