The number of independent greengrocer and butcher shops in the Netherlands has plunged by almost 50% since the turn of the century, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS.

The Netherlands now has 2,600 butchers shops and 1,300 greengrocers, a decline which mirrors the rise of large supermarkets, the CBS says.
The number of supermarkets has also gone down, from 7,100 to 5,800 but they’ve gone up sharply in size.
‘Supermarkets are benefiting from longer shop opening hours and the principle of one-stop shopping,’ a spokesman for the CBS said.
Not all specialist shops have been hit by the rise of the supermarket. The number of bakeries and fishmongers has remained relatively stable.

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