Supermarkets in particular achieved a higher turnover in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year, according to research by Statistics Netherlands. This also applied to butchers and cheese shops, although the turnover increase there was only one percent. Supermarkets have received a lot of criticism in recent weeks about the high prices on the store shelves. Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Albert Heijn, said earlier this month that he could not yet estimate when prices will fall again. He then pointed to prices for raw materials and energy that remain high.
Retail – which includes clothing stores and furniture stores in addition to supermarkets – saw their turnover increase by almost 8 percent in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year. This increase is due to higher prices; in many cases the volume was actually lower.
Turnover also increased in the non-food sector (clothing, drugstores and furniture), but slightly less than in food companies: 8 percent. Turnover did decrease at DIY stores; this type of store sold 11 percent fewer products. Jaarsma: ,,They did very well in corona times. There may also be less work done now because of the stagnating housing market.