The latest data from the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) for the Netherlands revealed that the country's retail trade increased by 8.8% in March 2022 compared to the same period last year.
Sales volume increased by 3.7%, while turnover in the non-food sector grew by 27%.
However, turnover in the food sector dropped by 0.9% in this period.
CBS March 2021 Figures
The turnover figures from CBS have been adjusted for the composition of shopping days in March, when some days of the week saw more than others.
According to CBS, these results are particularly interesting as consumer confidence in the country is almost at its lowest level ever.
Without this adjustment, retail sales were 9.8% higher than in March 2021, CBS added.
For non-food stores, growth in turnover was boosted by increases in volume (turnover adjusted for price changes), and was 21.2% higher than a year before.
CBS also noted that this growth is mainly due to the fact that turnover was at a low level in March 2021, due to a lockdown that affected the non-food sector in the Netherlands.
Clothing and shoe stores saw significantly higher turnover this year than in March 2021.
Other sub-sectors in the non-food sector also witnessed a similar trend, according to CBS.
Food, Drink, And Tobacco Shops
In comparison, food, drink and tobacco shops saw a 0.9% decline in turnover in March compared to the previous year.
The sales volume was 6.2% lower than one year previously.
The turnover of specialty stores was 3.1% higher, while the turnover of the supermarkets was 1.4% lower.
