Retail sales in the Netherlands rose by 3.4% year-on-year in April 2026, following an upwardly revised 3.2% increase in March. This was the strongest expansion in retail activity since November, largely driven by higher food sales (3.2% vs 2.5% in March), especially in supermarkets (3.8% vs 2.9%), which more than offset weaker turnover at specialty food stores (-0.9% vs 0.2%).
In the non-food sector, sales growth held steady at 3.5%, supported mainly by robust gains in drugstores (9.6% vs 3.1%), recreational goods (8.6% vs 3.6%), and consumer electronics and white goods (4.3% vs 0.6%). By contrast, trade in shoes and leather goods continued to contract (-3.6% vs -2%), while growth slowed for furniture and home furnishings (0.1% vs 5.4%) and clothing (1.7% vs 2.1%).
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales were flat in April, following an upwardly revised 1.8% increase in March.
