Dutch Retail Sales Growth Slows to 7-Month Low

Retail sales in the Netherlands increased by 3% year-on-year in December 2025, easing from an upwardly revised 4.3% rise in November and marking the softest growth since May. Growth in non-food sales slowed (1.9% vs 4.3% in November), amid smaller gains in recreational goods (2.7% vs 3.7%), drugstores (2.3% vs 8.4%), clothing (2% vs 2.1%), alongside renewed declines in DIY stores, including kitchens and flooring (-0.3% vs 3.7%), furniture and home furnishings (-0.7% vs 4.8%), and shoes and leather goods (-1.3% vs 3.4%). Conversely, food sales increased further (5% vs 4.3%), supported mainly by stronger supermarket sales (6.1% vs 4.5%). Online sales rose by 4.3%, slowing from a 7.3% increase in the previous month, with softer growth in food and drugstores (9.6% vs. 10.9%), other non-food items (4.0% vs. 8.0%), and consumer electronics (0.7% vs. 1.4%), while sales of clothing and fashion items dropped (-2% vs 3.3%). For the full year of 2025, retail sales were 3.6% higher than in 2024.