First week of May: 55 bankruptcies

14/05/2020 12:00

In week 19 (working week 4 to 8 May inclusive), 55 companies and institutions including sole proprietorships were declared bankrupt, as reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). This is 24 fewer than in week 18. Bankruptcies are often pronounced on Tuesdays by Dutch courts; Tuesday 5 May was a public holiday in the Netherlands.

During the first 19 weeks of 2020, a total of 1,397 companies and institutions were declared bankrupt. This is 16 more than in the same period in 2019.

Throughout the coronavirus crisis, CBS is providing weekly updates on the number of bankruptcies pronounced by Dutch courts. The weekly updates are normally released on Thursdays at 12.00 p.m.

Not including sole proprietorships, there were 46 bankruptcies in week 19. This is 18 down on the previous week. In addition, 9 sole proprietorships were declared bankrupt, 6 fewer than in week 18.

Number of bankruptcies of businesses and institutions (including sole proprietorships), weekly
	Week	Bankruptcies
2019	1	17
2019	2	74
2019	3	69
2019	4	82
2019	5	87
2019	6	71
2019	7	84
2019	8	64
2019	9	83
2019	10	74
2019	11	63
2019	12	85
2019	13	80
2019	14	85
2019	15	81
2019	16	88
2019	17	64
2019	18	58
2019	19	72
2019	20	56
2019	21	78
2019	22	83
2019	23	59
2019	24	64
2019	25	81
2019	26	78
2019	27	75
2019	28	74
2019	29	76
2019	30	64
2019	31	70
2019	32	67
2019	33	78
2019	34	74
2019	35	65
2019	36	49
2019	37	87
2019	38	93
2019	39	69
2019	40	64
2019	41	74
2019	42	69
2019	43	45
2019	44	95
2019	45	74
2019	46	84
2019	47	78
2019	48	79
2019	49	81
2019	50	71
2019	51	96
2019	52	54
2020	1	25
2020	2	72
2020	3	70
2020	4	73
2020	5	82
2020	6	67
2020	7	114
2020	8	73
2020	9	68
2020	10	80
2020	11	76
2020	12	68
2020	13	47
2020	14	74
2020	15	97
2020	16	65
2020	17	112
2020	18	79
2020	19	55

Number of bankruptcies of businesses and institutions (including sole proprietorships), weekly
	Week	Bankruptcies
2019	1	17
2019	2	74
2019	3	69
2019	4	82
2019	5	87
2019	6	71
2019	7	84
2019	8	64
2019	9	83
2019	10	74
2019	11	63
2019	12	85
2019	13	80
2019	14	85
2019	15	81
2019	16	88
2019	17	64
2019	18	58
2019	19	72
2019	20	56
2019	21	78
2019	22	83
2019	23	59
2019	24	64
2019	25	81
2019	26	78
2019	27	75
2019	28	74
2019	29	76
2019	30	64
2019	31	70
2019	32	67
2019	33	78
2019	34	74
2019	35	65
2019	36	49
2019	37	87
2019	38	93
2019	39	69
2019	40	64
2019	41	74
2019	42	69
2019	43	45
2019	44	95
2019	45	74
2019	46	84
2019	47	78
2019	48	79
2019	49	81
2019	50	71
2019	51	96
2019	52	54
2020	1	25
2020	2	72
2020	3	70
2020	4	73
2020	5	82
2020	6	67
2020	7	114
2020	8	73
2020	9	68
2020	10	80
2020	11	76
2020	12	68
2020	13	47
2020	14	74
2020	15	97
2020	16	65
2020	17	112
2020	18	79
2020	19	55

Most bankruptcies recorded in specialised business services

Of all sectors, specialised business services (e.g. legal services, architectural firms and advertising agencies) recorded the highest number of bankruptcies, namely 8. This was 3 more than in week 18. In addition, 6 bankruptcies were recorded in construction and 5 in food and beverage services. Four of the 6 bankruptcies in construction were sole proprietorships. Just as in most previous weeks of 2020, the highest number of sole proprietor bankruptcies was seen in the construction sector.

Number of bankruptcies of businesses and institutions (including sole proprietorships) by sector, 2020
	week 19	week 18
Specialised business services	8	5
Construction	6	11
Food and beverage services	5	6
Wholesale	4	10
Retail	4	10
Repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	3	0
Information and communication	3	2
Financial services	3	11
Employment activities	3	4
Manufacturing	2	4
Transport and storage	2	2
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2	0
Hairdressers and beauty salons	2	2
Accommodation services	1	2
Travel agency, tour operator and other	1	0
Care	1	1

Number of bankruptcies of businesses and institutions (including sole proprietorships) by sector, 2020
	week 19	week 18
Specialised business services	8	5
Construction	6	11
Food and beverage services	5	6
Wholesale	4	10
Retail	4	10
Repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	3	0
Information and communication	3	2
Financial services	3	11
Employment activities	3	4
Manufacturing	2	4
Transport and storage	2	2
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2	0
Hairdressers and beauty salons	2	2
Accommodation services	1	2
Travel agency, tour operator and other	1	0
Care	1	1

Several weeks may elapse between the date of filing for bankruptcy and the court decision. As of week 14, Dutch courts are granting a longer application period of at least four weeks in cases of a bankruptcy petition being made (i.e. by claimants), unless the procedures are deemed urgent. In addition, the Dutch government has established an emergency package for the economy and the job market in order to provide the proper support to Dutch businesses.

Figures published in this news release are provisional and subject to revision.

Sources

StatLine - Bankruptcies, adjusted for court session days
StatLine - Bankruptcies; enterprises
StatLine - Bankruptcies; enterprises, regions

Most bankruptcies recorded in specialised business services

Sources

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