On January 1 of this year, the number of webshops in the Netherlands was higher than the number of physical stores for the first time, it reports Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Wednesday based on provisional figures. The number of physical stores fell to 82,124, the number of online stores increased to 84,103.
It is the sum of a trend that has been visible for years. The number of webshops has increased more than sixfold since 2010, while more physical stores have closed than opened almost every year since then. During the corona crisis, a very large number of webshops were added, but that growth leveled off last year. With 16 percent of the total, online clothing stores are by far the most popular category.
The fact that webshops are now in the majority does not mean that they also earn more money than physical stores. Turnover has tripled from 2015 to last year, but the 32 billion euros that webshops estimates of the CBS in 2020 is still nothing compared to the 132 billion of the whole retail that year.
A web shop in real life
The hardest disappearance is the business where shoes, washing machines or CDs are for sale. More than 7 percent of those three types of stores closed last year. The vast majority of categories are shrinking, with some exceptions such as toy stores, supermarkets and other food stores.
But disappear completely, the shops of stone will not. Some webshops open physical stores or showrooms in real life. CBS economist Marjolijn Jaarsma: “The need to go into town and look around will always be there.”
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