Netherlands

Baby and child-specific products in the Netherlands was affected by the slowdown in the birth rate after a pandemic-induced peak and spikes in average unit prices. These were the main reasons for the declines in retail volume sales of baby and…

Value sales growth of wipes in the Netherlands continued to be significant in 2023, driven by high increases in price. Underlying factors that led to price increases included high transport costs, high energy costs and increased costs of raw…

Tissue and hygiene struggled to grow in volume terms in 2023, with many threats on the horizon. This included high price increases, dampening demand, as well as threats from non-disposable categories in menstrual care and hygiene but increasingly in…

Value sales of RX/reimbursement adult incontinence products registered moderate growth in 2023. For many people who are embarrassed about incontinence issues, there is a preference to buy incontinence products online, despite insurance reimbursement…

In 2023, retail value sales of retail tissue in the Netherlands experienced solid growth. However, declining disposable incomes are leading some consumers to decrease their usage of toilet paper. Adjustments in their purchasing behaviour have…

Retail value sale of retail adult incontinence products recorded moderate growth in 2023. Rather than buy retail adult incontinence, many consumers often revert to pantyliners or menstrual care products in order to save money. As menstrual care…

Retail value sales of nappies/diapers/pants recorded moderate growth in 2023. In 2022, a slight increase in the number of babies born led to an increase in sales of nappies/diapers, especially new born and standard, in volume terms. However, this was…

In 2023, retail value sales of menstrual care recorded moderate growth in the Netherlands. More initiatives to compensate for menstrual poverty were seen in 2023 especially in some cities, where such activities have been in place for some time at the…

Increased growth in the elderly population in 2023 continued to fuel growth of AFH tissue and hygiene value sales in the Netherlands as the elderly generally need significantly more care than younger people. This is true for both hospital care and…

Grocery retailers are coming under pressure and have seen their turnover threatened by decreasing volume sales and increased competition from other grocery players and other players. As a result, they are looking for other ways to invest and increase…

Despite the increasing competition from hypermarkets and discounters, supermarkets remains by far the largest grocery retailers category in the Netherlands, with it continuing to expand its footprint in 2023. Competition in supermarkets is still…

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…

Dutch consumers are increasingly aware of the harmful effects of chemicals on their health and look to refrain from buying air care products that might potentially emit harmful chemicals, opting for more natural solutions instead. As a consequence,…

Street stalls/kiosks in the Netherlands was hit hard by the pandemic as footfall in high-traffic areas dried up almost entirely since consumers could not go to school, the office or shops on the high street. The result was a dramatic decline in…

In 2023 overall self-service cafeterias recorded substantially slowed growth in terms of current value sales and total number of transactions. Compared to other foodservice categories, self-service cafeterias has only few outlets in the Netherlands.…

Limited-service restaurants performed relatively well in 2023, with robust rises in current value sales growth driven by high inflation, and positive growth in volume transactions.

Though 2023 was a year of robust post-pandemic recovery for full-service restaurants in the Netherlands, many outlets reported financial difficulties. The overall category posted strong value sales growth, but restaurants also suffered from extreme…

Consumer foodservice operators faced further cost hikes in terms of ingredients in 2023 as a result of soaring inflation. Price rises were also seen in energy, driven in part by the war in Ukraine. The Netherlands’ extreme weather during the year…

Consumer foodservice by location witnessed a lot of turmoil while the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing. During 2020, standalone foodservice outlets fared better than retail, travel, leisure, and lodging segments. This was mainly because all…

Cafés/bars saw steady decline in the number of outlets during the review period, which continued throughout 2023. The biggest problem is within independent bars/pubs, which is home to a persistent fall in the large number of traditional Dutch pubs…

The packaging industry in the Netherlands is undergoing a transformation due to a growing emphasis on sustainability, health-conscious consumer choices and eco-friendly alternatives. The rise in plant-based and vegetarian diets has led to a surge in…

This report analyses the market for cannabis in the Netherlands. For the purposes of the study, the market has been defined as follows:

The ongoing shift towards digitalisation has influenced the consumption patterns of markers and highlighters, prompting manufacturers to adapt their marketing strategies by promoting alternative uses. Notably, there is a growing trend in hobbies and…

Despite a projected decline in luxury product demand in the Netherlands, mechanical watches continue to garner enthusiasm and promotional efforts. Mainstream manufacturers' consistent introduction of new models forecasts steady growth for mechanical…

Personal accessories is anticipated to experience subdued growth in 2023, influenced by factors such as inflation, increased energy costs, and higher taxes, leading to a dampened demand. This slower recovery follows a previous year of rapid growth.…

Jewellery, as a product area, is anticipated to experience positive albeit subdued growth in 2023. Economic uncertainty coupled with escalating prices has led to a more cautious approach among Dutch consumers regarding expenditure on non-essential…

Bags and luggage is projected to experience robust growth in 2023, driven by an upsurge in travel activities and a growing preference among Dutch consumers for shorter, more frequent getaways. This trend is significantly contributing to an increased…

Overall retail volume sales of tea in the Netherlands have continued to contract in 2023 due to a combination of rising prices, weakened purchasing power, increasing maturity and the fact that consumers are now spending less time at home with the…

In keeping with its performance over most of the review period, other hot drinks is set to contract in retail volume terms in 2023. As a mature category with a much narrower appeal than coffee and tea in the Netherlands, it continues to suffer from a…

While hot drinks in the Netherlands is poised to record solid growth in current value terms in 2023, this is mainly because unit prices have continued to rise sharply due to the spike in inflation fuelled by the global recovery from COVID-19, the…

Retail volume sales of coffee in the Netherlands are set to contract for a third consecutive year in 2023. This is partly attributable to the easing of the pandemic and the ending of associated restrictions, in that consumers are now spending more…