Retail sales in the Netherlands increased by 2.2% year-on-year in January 2026, slowing from a 3.0% rise in December and marking the weakest growth since December 2024. The moderation was mainly due to a softer expansion in the food sector, where sales grew by 2.6% compared with 5.0% in the previous month. Within this category, supermarket sales growth eased sharply to 3.2% from 6.1%, while specialty food stores continued to see declining turnover, though at a slightly less negative rate (-0.9% vs -1.5%).
In contrast, the non-food sector gained further momentum, with sales up 1.9% year-on-year after a 1.6% increase in December. The strongest advances were recorded in consumer electronics and white goods (10.8% vs -1.7%) and in drugstores (8.9% vs 2.3%). Shoes and leather goods also returned to growth, with sales rising 4.1% after a 0.3% decline. By contrast, turnover fell in DIY, kitchens, and flooring (-1.8% vs 0.1%), in recreational items (-0.9% vs 3.3%), and in clothing (-0.3% vs 2.0%).
On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, retail sales rebounded by 0.6% in January, following a 0.9% decline in the preceding month.
