A quarter of all websites that offer illegal downloads are hosted on Dutch servers, according to a list of such websites posted by the United States and European Union. That makes the Netherlands the second largest provider of illegal download sites, after the United States which hosts 34 percent of such sites, NU.nl reports.
The list features websites that offer torrents with illegal downloads, as well as sites that illegally stream copyrighted material.
By 2025 the Dutch market for the online sale of non-food items will be dominated by one or two platforms, like Amazon, Alibaba or bol.com, ING's economic office said on Wednesday. By that year 35 to 40 percent of all online sales will go through these platforms, the bank expects, NU.nl reports.
While online sales in the Netherlands are still fragmented, this will change in the near future. "The Netherlands is on the verge of a new battle in online retail, now that international platforms are approaching our country", said Dirk Mulder, sector banker for ING Trade & Retail.
Grocery store chain Albert Heijn is converting two AH To Go minimarts into totally cashless locations. The staffed cash registers at the two AMC hospital shops will disappear from Monday.
While more traditional payment methods will remain at the AH To Go stores for the time being, they are introducing an innovation to the public that allows customers to tap their phones against the products. The charges will take about ten minutes to be processed. So far, Albert Heijn is only supporting Android phones, but plans to expand this to iOS and Windows.
The Netherlands should be on the European Union's blacklist of tax havens, according to development organization Oxfam Novib in a report. The EU is currently working on such a list, to get a clear picture on which countries 'refuse to play fair', and the expectation is that the Netherlands will not be on it, RTL Nieuws reports.
The EU list is expected to be presented in December. According to Oxfam, if the criteria for non-EU countries were also applied to the Netherlands, the country would definitely end up on the blacklist.
American online retail giant Amazon expanded its offerings for the Netherlands on Wednesday, a long-awaited move that opens up Amazon Prime video streaming and next-day shipping for its customers. Amazon announced the move in a press release at the time of its launch.
With Amazon Prime, the Dutch consumers now have full access to some two million items displayed in the online store, half of which will be delivered free of charge the day after the order is placed. The rest will be available in two days.
The biggest threat to the future of the baking world is not startups, but major technology platforms like Google, Apple and Amazon - Amazon in particular, ING CEO Ralph Hamers said to Financieele Dagblad.
Albert Heijn plans to start experimenting with cash register-less stores from next year. In these stores, customers can pack their trolleys with what they want and walk out of the store without scanning anything - payment happens automatically, ANP reports.
Amazon is launching its video service Prime in 200 countries, including the Netherlands, in December, Jeremy Clarkson said n Twitter. According to him "Amazon has gone global".
Clarkson and fellow presenters Richard Hamond and James May also say in a video that their new show The Grand Tour will be available to watch almost everywhere from December, according to the Telegraaf. The show premiers on Friday, and is currently only available to Amazon Prime subscribers in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Germany.
The Cabinet should inform the Second Chamber about what arrangements the Tax Service has made with multinationals. This is according to an opinion piece in the Volkskrant written by Jesse Klaver (GroenLinks), Arnold Merkies (SP,) Carola Schouten (ChristenUnie) and Pieter Omtzigt (CDA).
The European Commission has reasonable doubts about the tax deal between US coffee chain Starbucks and the Dutch tax authorities. The commission wants to make its concerns known this week.
The American online store Amazon has finally arrived in the Netherlands. From Wednesday e-books and Kindle e-readers will be available from their Dutch site.
Large retail chains are trying to lure customers with huge discounts at a time where they need to earn their money. "It is total panic," conclude retail experts.
Online shop Amazon.com is negotiating with Dutch publishers regarding the sale of e-books. Making the speculations about a possible move to the Netherlands concrete.
Dutch online shop Bol.com is going to work together with Canadian e-reading service Kobo to expand its online e-book range. Bol.com announces in a press report that clients will have access to two million e-books, rather than hundreds of thousands, thanks to the partnership, the nrc reports.
Google Street View cameras are to set cruise down Amsterdam’s canals next week, capturing views of the city from the water. The interactive map will give users the ability to virtually tour the canals as they are seen from the water, and gain a unique perspective of Amsterdam.
Mark de Rond of the Netherlands and Anton of Britain will row the Amazon for six weeks in September.
