Retail turnover over 3 percent up in September

More recent figures are available on this topic. View the latest figures here.
© CBS
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports for September 2023 that the Dutch retail sector recorded 3.1 percent year-on-year turnover growth. The volume of sales decreased by 3.3 percent. Turnover was up by 7.3 percent in the food sector, while in the non-food sector, it was down by 2.4 percent. Furthermore, online retail turnover increased by 0.9 percent year on year.

Retail turnover data have been adjusted for the shopping-day pattern in September. Retail sales tend to vary from one day to the next. If the shopping-day pattern is not taken into account, retail turnover in September 2023 was 3.4 percent higher than in the same month last year.

Turnover retail sector* (adjusted for shopping days)
 monthchange (year-on-year % change)
2019January1.5
2019February4.1
2019March4.1
2019April1.9
2019May2.6
2019June3.1
2019July3
2019August2.9
2019September4.4
2019October3.6
2019November2.4
2019December5.2
2020January3.5
2020February4.9
2020March3.4
2020April-1
2020May8.6
2020June10.2
2020July9.2
2020August10.2
2020September7.3
2020October7.2
2020November10.1
2020December-3.4
2021January-6.1
2021February-2.8
2021March6.6
2021April9.7
2021May9.5
2021June5.6
2021July2.8
2021August3.3
2021September4.2
2021October6.8
2021November5.3
2021December6.4
2022January18.1
2022February16
2022March9.3
2022April9
2022May2.1
2022June1.5
2022July5.9
2022August2.7
2022September6
2022October5
2022November6.8
2022December11.9
2023January12
2023February8
2023March4.7
2023April5.4
2023May5
2023June7.8
2023July4.6
2023August6
2023September3.1
*excluding petrol stations and pharmacies

Turnover in non-food sector over 2 percent down

In September, turnover in the non-food sector was down by 2.4 percent year on year. The volume of sales (turnover adjusted for price changes) decreased by 6.4 percent compared to the same month last year.

Shops selling personal care products and those selling recreational goods saw year-on-year turnover growth in September. Shops selling consumer electronics and white goods, shops selling furniture and home furnishings, shops selling DIY products, clothes shops and those selling footwear and leather products, on the other hand, recorded a decrease in September.

Turnover of food shops over 7 percent up

Shops selling food, beverages and tobacco achieved 7.3 percent higher turnover in September than in the same month last year. The volume of sales, however, was 2.1 percent lower. Turnover at supermarkets and specialist shops was up by 7.7 and 4.5 percent, respectively.

Turnover branches retail sector* (adjusted for shopping days)
 September 2023 (year-on-year % change)August 2023 (year-on-year % change)
Total food7.36.6
Supermarkets7.77
Specialist shops4.53.5
Total non-food-2.44.5
Personal care products8.16.5
Recreational goods1.21.2
Consumer electronics-2.5-0.3
Furniture and household articles-3.24.2
DIY products, kitchens, flooring-4.30
Clothes-96.7
Shoes and leather products-14.43.7
* excluding petrol stations and pharmacies

Online turnover almost 1 percent lower

In September, online turnover was down by 0.9 percent year on year. Web shops recorded a turnover increase of 4.7 percent; their core activity is selling goods and services over the internet. However, multi-channel retailers (retailers selling goods and services over the internet as a side activity) achieved 8.1 percent lower turnover in online sales.

Online turnover of food and personal care products was higher in September 2023 than in September 2022, while that of consumer electronics, clothing and fashion items, and other non-food products was lower.

Online turnover by subsector
 September 2023 (year-on-year % change)August 2023 (year-on-year % change)
Total -0.94.2
Food and personal care products15.522.5
Other non-food products-0.7-0.5
Consumer electronics-4.4-7.6
Clothing and fashion products-25.61.0

The figures in this post are preliminary and subject to revision.