Dutch company register expands, biggest rise in new firms since 2009

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The number of businesses in the Netherlands in 2017 increased by 73,000, the national statistics office CBS said on Friday.

The CBS said management consultancies again topped the list of new companies, with nearly 13,000 launched in 2017, but added they are also the most likely to fail.  Some 7,000 management consultancies closed shop last year.

Start-ups in the field of education and retail trade were next on the list of new companies last year while web shops boosted the number of companies operating in the retail sector.

A total of nearly 170,000 new businesses were formed in 2017, 94% of which were launched by independent contractors and the self-employed. This made 2017 the biggest year for start-ups since 2009.

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