The Netherlands’ economy will weaken in 2017. Private final consumption will see only modest gains, but exports will improve. Growth in disposable incomes and the continuing rise in house prices boosts net wealth of households. The real estate market...

Sales of bags and luggage experienced positive growth in the Netherlands during 2017 and this was mainly due to manufacturers investing in the development of new products, encouraging consumes to purchase these products more often and pushing them to...

Jewellery registered a sustained increase in demand in 2017, with sales growth driven mainly by the favourable economic environment in the country, which encouraged higher levels of consumer spending as Dutch consumers became more comfortable about ...

Personal accessories recorded a generally positive performance in 2017, with sales trends in the industry influenced mainly by higher consumer confidence, which led to stronger demand for more expensive items, especially value-added products. ...

Towards the end of the review period, demand for watches in the Netherlands was defined by the growing interest in design and the shift towards premium products, which was in part supported by the improved economic environment in the country and ...

Current value sales of writing instruments remained stagnant in 2017, with sales trends of negatively influenced by the general shift towards the use of consumer electronics devices as means of communication, with a consequent decline in demand for ...

Spectacles registered growth of 5% in current value terms in 2017. Actual value sales are largely driven by spectacle frames and spectacle lenses. Spectacles are in fashion, which was one of the reasons that boosted sales. The Dutch like this trend ...

Eyewear registered further positive growth in 2017 driven largely by demographic factors. Moreover, vision problems became more prevalent due to the increasing use of technology and changes in consumer lifestyles. Eyewear products became a key ...

Cider/perry is very much a niche category in the Netherlands as there is no tradition with regard to either the consumption or the production of cider/perry. The category is dominated by Heineken. This Dutch powerhouse owns the major cider producer ...

The popularity of wine-based RTDs helped RTDs/high-strength premixes to achieve growth in volume terms in 2016. As wine-based RTDs is a category with a relatively low average unit price compared with other categories within RTDs/high-strength ...

The beer culture in the Netherlands is changing. Lager is dominant, but much of the category’s growth is being generated by other categories. The beer culture in the Netherlands is changing towards a culture that is more similar to that of wine. Many...

During the review period, spirits went through some ups and many downs. In 2016, the category managed to achieve growth again. There are some major categories within spirits that suffer from maturity and that are still lose volume sales. However, ...

In 2016 the wine category was under further pressure as consumers drank less wine, which led to a decline in volume sales. In terms of value sales, there was modest growth. There are several factors that contributed to the decline in volume. First of...

Alcoholic drinks suffered a decline in volume sales during the review period as the economic recession limited the consumption of alcoholic drinks. Generally speaking, alcoholic drinks are more expensive than regular beverages and this restricted ...

Toys and games in the Netherlands recorded strong single-digit growth in current value sales for a third consecutive year in 2016. Compared to previous years, however, current value growth was more evenly distributed between traditional toys and ...

Steady economic improvements supported unexpectedly strong growth in real disposable incomes in the Netherlands in 2016, while household consumer spending increased by 2%. Against this backdrop, traditional toys and games achieved a positive ...

Momentum generated by the launch of eighth generation consoles over 2013-2014 continued to have a positive impact on the performance of video games in 2016. In hardware, demand for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One remained relatively strong as more Dutch ...

Sales of baby care products registered slightly improved but yet negative growth in 2016, in comparison with the previous year. The category remained highly competitive with manufacturers luring consumers to choose more sophisticated products and ...

Bath and shower products continue to be influenced by a general growing interest in wellness and relaxation. As people lead busier lifestyles with less time for rest moments or increased stress, manufacturers promote these products as a source for ...

Colour cosmetics in the Netherlands posted healthy growth in 2016. Manufacturers and retailers maintained investments in new product development and advertising during this period coupled with a general improvement in consumers’ confidence towards ...