The wholesale trade achieved 1.9 percent more turnover in the first quarter of this year than in the same period last year. The turnover grew due to higher raw material prices, an increasing demand for building materials and a higher milk price. The falling grain price had a depressing effect.
That reports Statistics Netherlands (CBS). This is the lowest year-on-year increase in two years. Investments were made in replacing old equipment in industry. Production capacity was also increased. Suppliers saw turnover growth of more than 5 percent due to the increased demand for machinery. Thanks to the growing economy and rising raw material prices, turnover in the oil trade and in the metal and ore trade each rose by 3.6 percent. Suppliers of chemical products, often basic chemicals for industry, also saw their turnover increase by 3.6 percent.
Sales of building materials and dairy products increase
The higher milk price resulted in a turnover growth of more than 13 percent for the dairy trade. Building materials also sold well: the wholesale trade saw its turnover increase by 8 percent. According to the CBS, the wholesalers are less positive about the second quarter. In the past quarter, 1360 companies started up, while 85 wholesalers went bankrupt. The number of bankruptcies is the lowest in the past five years. Furthermore, there are almost 17 thousand vacancies in the wholesale trade.
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