Fashion pulse: Netherlands - March 2026

Consumer prices (March)

Fashion prices in the Netherlands rose 1.3 percent year-on-year in March, below the overall inflation rate of 2.7 percent, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Clothing prices increased 1.9 percent, with womenswear leading at plus 2.6 percent and clothing accessories surging plus 6.0 percent. Menswear was nearly flat at plus 0.2 percent.

Footwear prices declined 2.2 percent, marking a continued deflationary trend in the category. Children's footwear fell the sharpest at minus 3.7 percent, followed by women's footwear at minus 2.7 percent. Men's footwear was virtually unchanged at minus 0.1 percent.

Retail sales (February)

Clothing store turnover rose 1.7 percent in value but declined 0.3 percent in volume, according to CBS monthly retail trade statistics. The gap confirms that revenue growth was entirely driven by price increases, not by additional shoppers or purchases. Footwear and leather goods stores grew 1.8 percent in value and 4.5 percent in volume, suggesting a genuine demand recovery in this segment.

Non-store retail, including e-commerce, grew 1.1 percent in value and 2.9 percent in volume. Online fashion sales specifically grew 3.7 percent year-on-year, according to CBS internet retail data, with the index reaching 187.1 versus the 2015 baseline of 100. Total Dutch retail grew 0.8 percent in value, providing context for fashion's relative performance.

Macro context (March)

Consumer confidence plunged to minus 34 in March from minus 24 in February, according to CBS, with the economic climate sub-indicator dropping to minus 58. This is the sharpest one-month decline in recent months. Unemployment stood at 4.1 percent in February according to the European Union statistics office Eurostat, up from approximately 3.7 percent a year ago.

Bankruptcies rose 10 percent year-on-year in March to 341, according to CBS, after two months of declining bankruptcy numbers. The euro averaged 1.156 dollars according to the European Central Bank (ECB), up 7.0 percent from a year earlier, easing import costs for Dutch retailers.

The bottom line: Dutch fashion retail shows a split picture — clothing stores growing in value but not volume, while footwear is recovering and online fashion continues to gain. The sharp confidence drop to minus 34 is the most concerning signal, arriving just as the spring selling season begins. Footwear deflation of minus 2.2 percent contrasts sharply with the plus 6.0 percent surge in accessory prices, suggesting pricing dynamics differ significantly across fashion subcategories.

• It should be noted that the underlying figures are based on different reporting periods: whilst price data and sentiment indicators can already available for March, retail turnover figures are reported with a time lag due to survey and publication cycles and, in this case, still refer to February. This time lag is common practice and nevertheless allows for a reliable assessment of current market trends.