Leading retail chains in the Netherlands 2023, by number of stores

HEMA, Albert Heijn, and Kruidvat are all household names in the Netherlands, and it would be near impossible to find someone in the country who has never shopped at any of these retail chains. For personal care products, many go to Kruidvat. For groceries, Albert Heijn, Jumbo, and HEMA are some of the leading choices. But which of these retailers is the largest retail chain? In terms of store count, Kruidvat leads the list, operating nearly 980 stores in the Netherlands as of January 2023. Albert Heijn ranked second with an estimated total of 960 outlets.

Dutch supermarkets

At nearly 40 percent, Albert Heijn accounted for by far the largest supermarket market share in the Netherlands in 2022. Jumbo, which is another large supermarket chain founded in Tilburg in 1979, stood in second place that year with a share of just over 20 percent.

Retail trade in the Netherlands

Over the past eight years, the Netherlands has seen year-on-year growth in terms of retail trade sales turnover. In 2022, specifically, sales turnover of Dutch retail trade grew by a remarkable seven and a half percent. Presented as value index figures (with base index 2015=100), the country's sales turnover grew to roughly 135 that year, an increase of nearly 10 points compared to the 2021.