26 Jun NIELSEN: BOTH BELGIAN & NETHERLANDS FMCG SALES REACH A COVID LOW

Posted at 15:42h in Consumer Understanding by

NIELSEN: BOTH BELGIAN & NETHERLANDS FMCG SALES REACH A COVID LOW

Total FMCG sales in week 25 were 3.0% for Belgium and 5.9% for the Netherlands, the slowest growth in a week without special holidays since the beginning of the pandemic

 

Both Belgian and Netherlands FMCG sales for the week ending June 21st were the slowest growth recorded in a “normal” week since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Nielsen. Belgian FMCG sales were measured at 3.0% year-on-year during week 25, while Netherlands FMCG sales were slightly higher at 5.9%. FMCG sales tend to fluctuate in the spring months due to the irregularity of public holidays, like Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost, which impact supermarket sales.

“If we look at the external trends that typically impact FMCG sales, like weather or public holidays, we don’t have much of that this past week,” said Johan Vrancken, Managing Director of Nielsen Benelux Connect. “Temperatures were quite similar in week 25 last year, and there were no public holidays this past week to impact supermarket sales.”

“Though horeca has already reopened in the Netherlands at the beginning of this month, we saw borders officially open between our two countries this past week, and Belgian bars and restaurants have seen lots of traffic. This certainly can play a role in some of the lowest absolute sales (EUR 364M) we’ve seen in Belgium since the beginning of the crisis,” said Vrancken.

Prior to the COVID crisis, the Belgian FMCG market for 2020 was forecasted at a flat growth.

 

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