Stores sold less in the second quarter than in the same period a year ago. Due to implemented price increases, the sold products did yield more, reports the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
Furniture stores, do-it-yourself stores and stores in consumer electronics and white goods in particular were able to sell fewer products. In those sectors, 9 to 13 percent fewer products were sold.
Online stores had to deal with an even more severe decline and, despite higher sales prices, saw sales fall about 10 percent. Physical stores were fully open again between April and June after even more corona restrictions applied a year earlier. This resulted in more online orders.
Clothing and shoe stores still seem to escape the downturn. According to the CBS, they recorded “major increases in turnover”. Food was sold more than 5 percent less, a downturn felt from supermarkets to specialty stores such as butchers. However, due to high prices, sales yielded almost 3 percent more.
Across all stores, the volume of products sold decreased by more than 3 percent. Turnover actually increased by more than 3 percent.
Retailers are more pessimistic about the economic situation than they have been in the past two years. 15 percent expect a deterioration in the next three months. Retailers also remain concerned about staff shortages. At the start of the third quarter, 41 percent identified this as the main impediment to business operations. That is double from the beginning of this year.
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