Netherlands

Small local grocers are increasingly trying to find ways to compete with supermarkets and other modern grocery retailers in what has been a tough economic environment. Small local grocers often struggle to achieve economies of scale with even many of…

Retail in the Netherlands saw positive growth in current value terms in 2023 but this was largely reflective of the impact of inflation and price rises rather than an increase in consumption. Many channels actually reported declining volume sales in…

Consumers are increasingly shopping online for their groceries with the return to busy lives away from the home leaving less time for grocery shopping. Growth was seen from both pure players and traditional store-based grocery retailers which have…

Hypermarkets was the most dynamic grocery retailers category in current value terms in 2023. Although people are spending less on the extra services that were installed in hypermarkets over review period (eg prepared meals, cobblers etc) they are…

Home products specialists are focusing more on sustainability. This is a reaction to consumers becoming increasingly demanding and wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. Consumers are becoming more aware of the wider impact of their purchasing…

Retailers are increasingly focusing on an omnichannel strategy in order to allow the consumer to shop in the way that they see fit and which is most convenient to them and which can maximise the retailer’s reach and sales potential. This in turn is…

Action continued to record growth in current value terms in 2023, albeit at a slower pace than in 2022. Action is a chain of discounter variety stores which has benefited from the challenging economic environment with consumers coming to its stores…

With inflation remaining elevated in 2023 and disposable income decreasing, consumers were pushed to look for ways to save money. This benefited discounters, with these stores having a strong reputation for offering lower prices than supermarkets.…

As COVID-19 restrictions were eased and shops re-opened in 2022, some consumers turned away from direct selling and showed more interest in going out again and visiting physical retail outlets. However, in 2023, consumers showed renewed interest in…

Convenience stores in city centre locations saw steady growth in current value terms in 2023 with this being driven by various factors. First, with the pandemic over consumers spent less time working from home than during the height of the health…

BCC was declared bankrupt by a court in the Netherlands in September 2023 with the retailer finding itself unable to stay afloat amidst rising costs and falling demand. The bankruptcy was also seen to be due to a failure to innovate or successfully…

Apparel and footwear specialists registered modest growth in current value terms in 2023 although this was down to inflation rather than an increase in demand. Consumers were looking to make savings in 2023 due to pressure on disposable income which…

Retailers tried to stem the decline in volume sales in toilet care in 2023 by offering regular and deep discounts on rim blocks and rim liquids. These were mostly multi-buy offers, with discounts applied when purchasing three or four items – or…

Consumers in 2023 were on the look-out for surface cleaners offering high levels of convenience and (perceived) savings, and as such turned to multi-purpose cleaners in the hope that one product could do the bulk of the work, helping to slow the…

Dutch workers embrace informal wear at most companies, making consumers less interested in formal work shoes which need polishing. At the same time, the hybrid form of working is also having some impact, as office workers spend time at home requiring…

2023 saw private label players in laundry care strive to emphasise their strides forward in terms of sustainability, particularly in relation to product ingredients and the possibility of cool washes. A growing number of Dutch consumers were…

The Netherlands saw mixed weather during the spring and summer seasons of 2023, though the country did enjoy several weeks of sunny weather with high temperatures, supporting higher demand (with a slight slowdown in the decline in volume sales) for…

Home care in the Netherlands rose in value terms but declined in volume terms in 2023. Inflationary pressures and reduced disposable incomes led Dutch consumers to strive to save money on their weekly shopping, with home care products offering…

Private label saw robust growth within dishwashing in the Netherlands in 2023, driving overall growth and outperforming branded alternatives, and rising fastest in automatic dishwashing. Rapid expansion within this particular segment was the result…

With rising prices in 2023 consumers sought ways to save money whenever possible. Despite hefty price increases in 2022 and 2023, private label bleach products remained inexpensive. Bleach is still seen to be an effective cleaning product, and many…