Retail sales in the Netherlands rose 3.5% year-on-year in August 2026, up from a downwardly revised 2.5% increase in July and marking the strongest expansion since November 2025. The acceleration was driven mainly by the non-food sector, where turnover grew by 5.0%, compared with 3.3% in July. Within this segment, furniture and household articles posted particularly robust gains, with sales rising 7.1% after a 4.1% increase in the previous month. Supermarket turnover also picked up slightly, advancing 0.4% after stagnating in July.
By contrast, growth slowed across several categories: food and beverage retailers (0.9% vs. 1.0% in July), specialist shops (1.0% vs. 1.1%), clothing (2.5% vs. 4.2%), DIY products, kitchens and flooring (1.9% vs. 3.3%), personal care products (0.9% vs. 6.9%), and consumer electronics (0.7% vs. 5.4%). Shoes and leather products were the only segment to register a decline, with turnover falling 1.1% following a 0.8% increase in July. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, overall retail activity rose 0.8% in August, up from a 0.4% gain in the previous month.
