While the overall number of shops in the Netherlands has fallen by 5% since 2012, the number of discount outlets, such as Action and Big Bazar, have risen 75% in the same period, according to market research group Locatus.

In 2012 there were some 400 shops offering bargain prices on Dutch high streets but this has now risen to 700, broadcaster NOS quotes Locatus as saying.

Last year research by the Dutch consumers association Consumentenbond showed that items such as shampoo can be bought at chains such as Big Bazar for up to 40% less than in normal shops.

‘They all have ambitions for growth and we consumers have found out where we can buy cheap stuff,’  Groningen University professor Peter Verhoef told the broadcaster. ‘And even though we are out of the crisis, we keep on buying at these addresses. It’s not going to stop.’