As with the rest of Europe, continuing inflation and supply chain disruptions will be the main the challenge for supermarkets in the Netherlands this year.
According to the most recent data from Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek), retail sales in the Netherlands experienced a year-on-year growth of 8% during the first quarter of 2023. This growth was primarily attributed to increased prices. Notably, this marked the eighth consecutive quarter of higher retail sales compared to the previous year.
Within the food category, sales saw a 9% increase compared to the previous year, although the volume of sales declined by 5%. Supermarkets witnessed a rise in sales, while specialty shops like butchers and cheese shops also experienced a boost in turnover. However, the volume of sales in this category decreased by 11% during the quarter.
As for the non-food segment, sales in this category rose by nearly 8% compared to the previous year, primarily driven by higher prices.
Elsewhere, data showed that inflation in the Netherlands stood at 5.2% in April 2023.
Here's an overview of the top ten supermarket retail chains in the Netherlands, according to their most recently-available full-year turnover. All data is supplied by Retail-Index (www.retail-index.com).
1. Albert Heijn
Turnover: €16.4 billion (2021)
Albert Heijn is in first place, reporting an annual turnover of €16 billion in 2021. The Ahold Delhaize-owned retailer operated 1,733 outlets as of 2022 and its banners include AH to Go, AH.nl, Albert Heijn XL, Albert Heijn, Bol.com and Gall & Gall.
In February, Albert Heijn added 100 items to its Prijsfavorieten (Price Favourites) campaign, under which it is seeking to offer affordable own-brand groceries.
Read More: Albert Heijn Strengthens Its Position As Dutch Market Leader
2. Jumbo
Turnover: €10 billion (2022)
Jumbo is in second place with an annual turnover of €10 billion recorded in 2022. It boasted a network of 708 stores as of last year.
Last year was the first time that Jumbo reported yearly sales that topped the €10 billion mark. This was an increase of 3.7% on the previous year.
Read More: 5 Challenges Facing New Jumbo CEO Ton van Veen
3. Lidl
Turnover: €4.5 billion (2020, estimated)
Lidl had an estimated turnover of €4.5 billion in the Netherlands in 2020, and 441 stores as of 2022.
The Schwarz Group owned retailer has had a presence in the Netherlands since 1997.
4. Aldi
Turnover: €3 billion (2020, estimated)
Aldi is in fourth place, with the discounter reporting an estimated annual turnover of €300 billion in 2020.
Part of the Aldi Nord group, Aldi operated 500 stores in the Netherlands as of 2022.
5. PLUS
Turnover: €5.5 billion (2022, estimated)
PLUS had an estimated turnover of €5.5 billion in 2022. The group operates approximately 550 stores in the Netherlands.
In January, PLUS announced it aims to continue to consolidate its business in 2023, following its successful merger with Coop Netherlands.
Read More: PLUS And Coop Report 'Strong First Year' Post Merger
6. Detailresult
Turnover: €2.2 billion (2021)
Detailresult reported an annual turnover of €2.2 billion in 2021. The group had 313 stores as of 2022, and its banners include Deka Tuin, Dekamarkt, Dirk, and Dirx III Slijterijen.
The family business was created in 2008 from a merger of the two Dutch supermarket chains DekaMarkt and Dirk van den Broek.
7. Sligro
Turnover: €1.9 billion (2021)
Sligro recorded an annual turnover of €1.9 billion in 2021 and had 50 outlets in the Netherlands as of 2022.
In December 2022, Sligro announced plans to acquire the majority of cash-and-carry giant Metro's activities in Belgium. The move means that Sligro Food Group becomes the largest food wholesaler in Belgium.
8. SPAR
Turnover: €829 million (2021)
SPAR Netherlands reported a turnover of €829 million in 2021, and had 442 stores in the Netherlands as of 2022.
Its banners include SPAR City, SPAR Express, SPAR enjoy, SPAR University and SPAR.
9. Makro
Turnover: €797 million (2020)
Wholesaler Makro C&C recorded a turnover of €797 million in 2020. It had 17 outlets in the Netherlands as of 2022.
In March of this year, the Metro-owned business announced the opening of a new delivery depot to optimise its Food Service Distribution (FSD) business in the Netherlands.
Makro described the opening of the depot as an 'important milestone' for the implementation of its local 'sCore strategy', which seeks to expand the delivery service as the largest growth lever within its multichannel business model and triple delivery sales across the group by 2030.
Read More: Makro Opens New Central Delivery Depot In The Netherlands
10. Hoogvliet
Turnover: €765 million (2019)
Hoogvliet reported an annual turnover of €765 million in 2019, and had a network of 53 stores in the Netherlands as of 2022.
In March, the supervisory board of Hoogvliet Supermarkets announced the appointment of Edwin de Maa as its new CEO as of 1 June 2023. This position was temporarily filled by Fred van Heyningen, who will remain with the Dutch retail group as director of its holding company.
About Retail-Index
Retail-Index is a specialist supplier of management information on consumer retail markets, provided by Veraart Research Group in the Netherlands. Its mission is to supply managers with up-to-date key information on retail markets in Europe and support them in their international expansion.
The company dates back to 1964, when it started as a market research and marketing consulting company for consumer products and services. In 1989, it started publishing written reports on various retail sectors in Europe. As of 2005, it publishes its information on retailers through the online database and curated datasheet exports available on www.retail-index.com. A team of researchers manages the data to reflect upon current developments in the markets, collected from an extensive number of sources.
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© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
