Record number of Dutch supermarkets open on Easter Sunday

One in three supermarkets in the Netherlands will be open on Easter Sunday this year, almost double compared to two years ago. A handful of shopping centers will also be open on Sunday, the first time ever in the Netherlands, according to Openingstijden.nl, AD reports.

63 percent of Dutch municipalities are now allowing supermarkets to be open on Easter Sunday. This year 31 percent of supermarkets in the country are making use of this possibility, compared to 16 percent two years ago.

A number of DIY stores are also opening on Sunday. Some municipalities are even going one step further. In The Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Tilburg, Sunday will be almost a regular shopping day, according to the newspaper.

"This proves: it is becoming more natural to open on special days", Bob Gross from Openingstijden.nl said to AD. "We have seen this rise for a few years now and it is becoming increasingly natural that stores will be open during the holidays."

Sander van Golberdinge, director of retailers organization Detailhandel Nederland, confirms this trend. "Consumers have the need to shop and buy their groceries when it suits them. They can shop on the internet 24 hours per day, 7 days in the week. Because of the competition from online stores, physical stores do not want to lag behind."