Recently, consumers have been saving on luxury products at the supermarket, says Arjen van Nierop, a researcher at the EFMI Business School.
“But at Christmas we see that many want to give themselves a gift, also because many people have less money to go to restaurants”.
‘Bought in bulk for Christmas dinner’
The butcher Koos van Essen, owner of the Warmenhoven butcher’s shop in Wateringen, is also enthusiastic: “Massive shopping was done today, worries are in the background for a while, wonderful.”
Meat has gotten a lot more expensive, and in the past three weeks, customers have been buying cheaper produce: fewer steaks and more slaves, says Van Essen.
Gourmet and wraps
“But now I don’t hear customers talking about the price, they go wild with all kinds of tasty things. We still have a lot of gourmands at Christmas, but the ‘nice rolls’ are also sold a lot, according to Van Essen.
Van Essen hears similar stories throughout the week from colleagues he’s on an app group with.
‘The best Christmas for restaurants’
But the Dutch not only spend money on a delicious Christmas menu at home, we also go out for dinner. Reservations are going well, many restaurants are full, according to Koninklijke Horeca Nederland.
Arno Vlaar, owner of the Vlaar restaurant in ‘s-Graveland, also notices this. “This Christmas is definitely a great Christmas, we haven’t been that busy yet.”
According to him, this also has to do with consumers wanting to eat out with larger groups. “I really think people didn’t unpack for two years during corona and waited until they could,” says Vlaar.
