Marginal decline retail turnover
- Turnover non-food shops marginally down from previous months
- Declining volume food, drinks and tobacco shops
The latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands show that retail turnover was 0.7 percent down in August 2013 from August 2012. Retail prices were 2.4 percent up, volume shrank by 3.0 percent. Turnover generated in June, July and August was on average more than 1 percent below the level of the same three months last year.
August 2013 had one Wednesday less and one Saturday more than August 2012. The positive effect of the shopping-day pattern on the entire retail trade sector was approximately 1 percent.
The turnover and volume decline in the non-food sector was less substantial in August than in the preceding months. Turnover fell by approximately 2 percent relative to August last year. Prices of non-food articles rose by nearly 2 percent, volume decreased by 3.7 percent. DIY shops and consumer electronics shops suffered most. Clothes shops and home furnishing shops faced marginal loss of turnover. Chemist shops, textile supermarkets and household appliances shops performed better than twelve months ago.
Food, drinks and tobacco shops generated a turnover growth of nearly 3 percent in August. Prices rose by 3.9 percent, volume shrank by more than 1 percent. Supermarket turnovers were 3.3 percent up from August 2012. Volume declined slightly by 0.3 percent.
Mail-order firms and online shops realised a turnover growth of more than 6 percent, the smallest turnover growth over the past six months.