Retail turnover 11 percent up in December

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© Hollandse Hoogte / Michel Utrecht
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports for December 2022 that the Dutch retail sector recorded 11 percent year-on-year turnover growth. The volume of sales, however, went down by 0.5 percent. Turnover in the food sector was up by 5.7 percent and in the non-food sector up by 21.5 percent. Furthermore, online retail turnover decreased by 11.1 percent. With the December figure being known, the figure for the entire year can also be provided. The Dutch retail sector achieved almost 7 percent turnover growth in 2022.

Retail turnover data have been adjusted for the shopping-day pattern in December. Retail sales tend to vary from one day to the next. If the shopping-day pattern is not taken into account, retail turnover in December 2022 was 11.1 percent higher than in the same month one year previously.

Turnover in non-food sector almost 22 percent higher

In December, turnover in the non-food sector was up by 21.5 percent year on year. The volume of sales (adjusted for price changes) grew by 11.1 percent compared to the same month one year previously. On 19 December 2021, another strict lockdown was imposed to prevent coronavirus infections. Many non-food shops then had to close their doors.

Shops selling footwear and leather products, clothes shops, shops selling recreational goods, shops selling furniture and home furnishings, shops selling consumer electronics and white goods and those selling DIY products, kitchens and flooring saw year-on-year turnover growth in December. However, shops selling personal care products had lower turnover than twelve months previously.

Turnover of food shops almost 6 percent up

Shops selling food, beverages and tobacco achieved 5.7 percent higher turnover in December 2022 than in the same month of 2021. The volume of sales, however, was 7.8 percent lower. Turnover at supermarkets and at specialist shops was up by 6.6 and 1.2 percent, respectively.

Online turnover 11.1 percent lower

In December, online turnover was down by 11.1 percent year on year. Web shops recorded a turnover decrease of 7.7 percent; their core activity is selling goods and services over the internet. Multi-channel retailers (retailers selling goods and services over the internet as a side activity) achieved 15.2 percent lower turnover in online sales.

Online turnover of shops selling food and personal care products was higher in December 2022 compared to December 2021. Online turnover of shops selling other products was lower.

Record retail turnover growth in 2022

In 2022, adjusted for shopping days, retail sales increased by 6.7 percent relative to 2021. This is the highest growth since the series of adjusted figures started in 2005. However, the volume of sales was 0.6 percent lower. Turnover of non-food shops grew by 12.2 percent, while food shops realised a growth of 4.2 percent. Online turnover was 7.6 percent lower than in 2021.

The substantial growth in 2022 is partly related to the coronavirus measures in 2021. From January to the end of April and from 19 December to mid-January 2022, a hard lockdown applied in the Netherlands, which mainly affected non-food shops. In addition, inflation reached a record high in 2022 at an average of 10.0 percent.

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