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Amsterdam's Retail Sector Shrinks to 5,200 Stores Amid Steady Recovery
City data shows continued shrinkage in shops alongside stable entrepreneur sentiment two years into the post-pandemic rebound.
How we reported this
Amsterdam’s retail sector has lost 14 percent of its stores since 2015, leaving 5,200 outlets operating across the city as of 2025. The drop comes even as the local economy shows signs of a cautious rebound after the sharp 2020 contraction.
The pandemic reversed years of stronger-than-national growth in Amsterdam. Output fell 7 percent in 2020 before a tentative pickup began during 2021. That trajectory still shapes daily decisions for shop owners and hotel operators who rely on visitor numbers and local spending.
Retail pressure visible on key streets
More than one hundred distinct shopping zones operate in Amsterdam, ranging from the busy Kalverstraat corridor to smaller neighbourhood centres and larger retail parks on the outskirts. The sustained loss of stores has left visible gaps on some of those streets, particularly where footfall has not fully returned to pre-2020 levels.
Entrepreneurs surveyed in 2025 gave the overall business climate in Amsterdam an average mark of 6.4. That score matches the rating recorded in 2021 and suggests limited improvement in operating conditions despite the gradual economic recovery.
Hotels and local spending under review
A separate study examined how hotels contribute to the surrounding economy through jobs, supplier purchases and visitor spending. The findings arrive at a moment when city officials continue to balance tourism revenue against pressure on housing and public space.
Business owners checking the latest figures on the city’s research site at onderzoek.amsterdam.nl can compare their own performance against the broader retail and sentiment data released in May and June 2026. Those numbers offer a baseline for planning stock orders or staffing levels through the rest of the summer.