Dutch consumers spent 9% less on top brands in supermarkets last year

2024 was a bad year for top brands like Heineken, Unox, Douwe Egberts, and Calvé in Dutch supermarkets. Partly due to a ban on selling cigarette sales in supermarkets, the sales of the 100 largest A-brands fell by 9 percent compared to 2023. Inflation and more attention to healthier choices also played a role, NOS reports from an annual study by the research agency Circana.

Since July 1 last year, Dutch supermarkets have not been allowed to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products. There are ten tobacco brands on the list of the 100 largest A-brands. Their share on the list has dropped considerably. Marlboro, which was number 1 on the top 100 for years, dropped to number 4 in 2024 due to the ban. It will disappear from the list completely next year.

But even if the ban on tobacco is disregarded, the top brands had a bad year. “A-brands are becoming less and less relevant in supermarkets,” Irene Hendriksen of Circana told NOS. “In 2005, brand manufacturers still had a share of almost 25 percent in total supermarket sales, now they have dropped below 20 percent.”

Customers are increasingly buying fresh products, which is typically not where A-brands do their business. “And the growth of private labels at the expense of the big brands continued strongly last year,” Hendriksen said. That is partly due to inflation pressuring Dutch consumers’ purchasing power, forcing many to opt for cheaper alternatives.

The numerous disputes between manufacturers and supermarket chains about prices don’t help top brands’ turnover either. That is also clearly visible in the top 100 ranking. The biggest fallers on the list include Bonduelle, Senseo, De Rijter, and Quaker - all brands that were unavailable at Jumbo and Picnic at some time last year. “If people find empty shelves due to a boycott or delivery stop, they will either choose another brand or the private label. If the A-brand products become available again after the boycott, it is always questionable whether consumers will choose it again.”

Coca-Cola is now the largest A-brand in the supermarket. Strikingly, there has been a major shift from the original drink to Cola Zero. The calorie-free variant now accounts for 44 percent of Coca-Cola’s turnover in the Dutch supermarkets.

Another striking shift is in beer - Heineken is falling out of favor. Hertog Jan became the largest beer brand in Dutch supermarkets in 2022 and the gap with competitor Heineken is steadily increasing. In 2022, Hertog Jan sold 17 million euros more than Heineken. Last year, that gap increased to 87 million euros. Netherlands residents are now also drinking Red Bull more than Heineken when it comes to supermarket sales.

The top 10 A-brands in Dutch supermarkets:

1. Coca Cola
2. Hertog Jan
3. Lay’s
4. Marlboro
5. Campina
6. Dr. Oetker
7. Red Bull
8. Heineken
9. Unox
10. Douwe Egberts