The number of shops is increasing again in the Netherlands, including bookstores

The number of stores in the Netherlands has increased again in the past year, after a downward trend in the past decade.

The Netherlands had approximately 83,200 physical stores on January 1, 2024 this year, reports the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). That is 1,100 more than a year earlier.

However, the number of stores has not yet returned to pre-corona pandemic levels, when there were more than 84,100 physical stores. And certainly not at the level of 2010, when there were more than 97,000 physical stores.

More DIY stores and bookstores

The number of do-it-yourself stores and bookstores increased sharply last year. In absolute terms, the number of stores selling do-it-yourself items increased the most, with 310 stores more at the start of this year than a year earlier.

In relative terms, the most bookstores were added, with an increase of 12.9 percent to a total of almost 660 stores, followed by tobacco stores with an increase of 6.5 percent.

The number of garden centers and flower and pet shops fell the most in absolute terms, and in relative terms the number of shops selling white and brown goods and audio and video recordings.

Most stores in the Netherlands are still clothing stores, which account for more than 16 percent of all physical stores. There are now a total of more than 13,000 clothing stores in the Netherlands. Clothing stores are followed by supermarkets (6,700) and stores selling other household goods (6,400).

By the way, there are more online stores in the Netherlands than physical stores: now a total of more than 95,000. The number of online stores has increased again in the past year.

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