Netherlands

Sour milk products overall is falling in terms of retail volume sales in the Netherlands in 2023, though the decline is less steep that that of 2023. While plain yoghurt is witnessing positive growth, other members of yoghurt and sour milk products…

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…

Wound care is projected to see a steady increase in retail volume sales throughout 2023, accompanied by an even more significant increase in retail current value terms. The category is performing well as it continues to recover from strong declines…

Sales of women’s apparel are expected to maintain a stable, positive growth trajectory in 2023. Although growth may slightly lag behind the previous year, factors such as inflation, price increases, favourable weather, and a return to workplaces are…

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…

Overall volume sales in wine continued to decline in the Netherlands in 2023. Both off-trade and on-trade sales were hampered by an ageing consumer base and substantial growth in average unit prices across the subcategories. The long-term issues…

In 2023, meal replacement and weight loss supplements are projected to record healthy increases in retail volume sales. Dutch consumers are becoming more aware of the health risks involved with obesity. Awareness was heightened by the Coronavirus…

Wearable electronics is set to record volume growth in 2023 thanks to smart wearables and activity watches (analogue). Smart wearables, such as smartwatches, are driving growth during the year, as the penetration rate is low and new consumers are…

Overall, vitamins is projected to register a further decline in retail volume sales over 2023, with a moderate increase in retail current value sales. However, retail volume and current value sales are expected to be higher at the end of the review…

The market for video games in the Netherlands saw healthy growth in current value terms in 2023. Video gamers are, in general, not significantly influenced by inflation and therefore continued to support the category despite the difficult economic…

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…

Retail volume sales of vacuum cleaners declined in 2023 partly due to consumers' reluctance to spend on new appliances, while others had already invested in new vacuum cleaners during COVID-19. The cylinder vacuum cleaner, the largest category, faced…

In 2023, the number of leisure outbound trips is projected to exceed the 2019 pre-Coronavirus (COVID-19) level. Fuelled by still high pent-up demand, there have been high numbers of bookings for May and summer holidays, with land, rail and air travel…

Traditional toys and games in the Netherlands registered only modest growth in current value terms in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. Consumers felt the pinch of inflation and as such, were more cautious with their spending. While…

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…

The market for toys and games in the Netherlands saw continued growth in current value terms in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than the previous year. This was driven primarily by video games, both hardware and software. Video gamers are, in general,…

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is no longer of significant influence on outbound travel from the Netherlands in 2023. The COVID-19 virus was declared endemic in February 2023, with most of the pandemic measures already lifted in the Netherlands in early…

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…

Tobacco in the Netherlands is heavily influenced by regulatory changes, shifts in consumer behaviour, and economic pressures. In 2023, cigarette sales declined for another consecutive year as the long-term shift away from smoking tobacco continued.…

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…

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…

Following the surge in demand for sweet spreads in 2020 in line with pandemic-induced home seclusion, thereby enabling more frequent breakfast and snacking opportunities, retail unit volumes of sweet spreads packaging in the Netherlands stagnated…

Spreads in the Netherlands are experiencing healthy sales growth driven by a combination of factors in 2023. The expansion in population and price increases due to inflation are contributing to the organic growth in sales. Notably, the sweet spreads…

In 2024 sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks in the Netherlands is recording a slight decline in retail volume sales overall. Fruit snacks and snack bars are both doing well and rising robustly. However, sweet biscuits, the largest segment by…

Over half of consumers in the Netherlands try to have a positive impact on the planet, shaping sustainable purchasing decisions. This leads to over 50% of consumers reducing food waste and plastic use, while locally sourced recyclable goods would be…

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…

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…

The sales of sunglasses in the Netherlands continue to thrive, benefiting from their positioning not only as essential protective accessories but also as fashion complements. With a heightened awareness of the dangers of UV light and an increasing…

Sun care in the Netherlands benefited as travel and tourism flows continued to recover from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions on mobility. As people started to travel more, there was an increase in beach and other holidays, which boosted the…

In the Netherlands in 2024, all members of sugar confectionery are suffering retail volume sales decline while at the same time seeing current value sales rise as a result of unit price hikes. The exception is power mints, which is only showing…

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…

Store cards have been non-existent in the Netherlands since 2015. Since then, no new players have launched store cards and there have been no new attempts to introduce store cards by any of the former players. There is little sign that any meaningful…

In 2023, the landscape of staple foods is marked by several key trends and factors. Volume growth is generally down as households try to buy less and save money due to squeezed incomes. This decline in volume growth is offset by value growth driven…

Sportswear is rapidly gaining traction within Dutch apparel and footwear, constituting less than a quarter of total value sales in 2023. This upsurge is predominantly driven by the growing popularity of sports activities and the prevalent preference…

Over 2023, sports nutrition is expected to continue to recover from the steep retail volume sales declines recorded in 2020 in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The exception, protein/energy bars, posted only a marginal-to-slight…

Sports drinks has shown another solid performance in 2023, with the category poised to record robust growth in off- and on-trade volume sales. Consumption continues to be bolstered by rising participation in sports and fitness activities in the…

In terms of total volume sales, the spirits category was more or less static in 2023. As with other alcoholic drinks categories, current value growth was much higher as there was a substantial increase in average unit prices. Throughout the…

Spectacles are expected to record positive growth in 2024, driven by a continuous increase in the consumer base in the Netherlands. Dutch consumers view spectacle frames as essential items, similar to spectacle lenses, making them less likely to…

In total unit volume terms, the Dutch soft drinks packaging market recorded positive growth in 2023, after stagnating a year earlier. While the main pack type, PET bottles, recorded positive growth in 2023, it continued to lose share to metal…

Following two years of decline, soft drinks in the Netherlands has seen off-trade volume sales tip back into positive territory in 2023, with most categories set to record improved results in this respect. Given the importance of impulse purchases…

Snacks in the Netherlands in 2024 is seeing further price hikes following on from the previous year’s steep rises. Greater player investment in product development and marketing and promotions is also continuing apace. Growth is largely driven by…

Young adults are driving growth of the smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco category in the Netherlands. Recent statistics from the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) indicate a substantial rise in e-cigarette usage among…

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…

Small cooking appliances registered a decline in retail volume sales in 2023, as consumers were reluctant to spend on unnecessary appliances given the difficult economic environment. Additionally, some consumers had already invested in small cooking…

Sleep aids is projected to register only a slight increase in retail volume sales over 2023, despite the further recovery of travel and reports highlighting the heightened levels of stress and anxiety in Dutch society following the Coronavirus…

In 2023, skin care in the Netherlands recorded a strong increase in retail current value sales, supported by inflationary pressure on prices, as retail volume sales declined. Hand care witnessed the biggest decline in retail volume sales and only a…

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.…

2024 is seeing positive development in terms of both retail volume and retail current value sales for savoury snacks in the Netherlands. Some segments are posting impressively strong growth – for example, tortilla chips, pretzels, and vegetable,…

With consumers spending more time at home than usual in 2020, they were increasingly turning to home cooking due to the various COVID-19 restrictions, including foodservice closures. The outbreak of COVID-19 also increased consumer interest in health…

In a repeat of 2021’s weaker performance, the decline in retail unit volumes of sauces, dips, and condiments packaging in 2022 in the Netherlands was due to a stabilising of demand following the stockpiling witnessed in 2020 due to pandemic-related…