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Amsterdam's retail stores plunge to 5,200 amid 14-year decline
City data show a 14 percent decline in shops since 2015, while business sentiment holds steady at a 6.4 rating.
How we reported this
Amsterdam recorded 5,200 shops in 2025 after a 14 percent drop from 2015 levels, according to the city’s economy dossier at onderzoek.amsterdam.nl/dossier/economie.
The contraction follows a period of stronger economic growth than the national average until 2020, when the local economy shrank 7 percent amid the coronavirus pandemic. A tentative rebound began during 2021, yet the sustained fall in store numbers points to lasting shifts in how residents shop and how businesses operate across the city.
Retail footprint shrinks across more than 100 districts
More than one hundred shopping zones remain active, ranging from the busy Kalverstraat and surrounding streets to smaller neighbourhood centres and larger residential boulevards. The Monitor Detailhandel 2026, published in June 2026, tracks this gradual reduction and shows how footfall patterns have changed since the height of the health crisis.
Local traders have adjusted to fewer physical outlets while online competition and higher operating costs continue to shape decisions on whether to keep doors open. City researchers note that the overall number of retail premises has fallen steadily each year, even as some popular corridors retain strong visitor numbers.
Entrepreneurs rate the climate unchanged since 2021
Amsterdam business owners assigned the local enterprise environment an average score of 6.4 in 2025, the same mark recorded in 2021, the Ondernemerspeiling Amsterdam 2025 published in May 2026 found. The stable rating suggests that while the sharp 2020 downturn has eased, many operators still see room for improvement in costs, regulations and customer demand.
Separate work published in April 2025 examined the contribution of hotels to the wider economy, underlining how tourism-related activity supports jobs and suppliers even as the city manages visitor volumes. A public dataset on economy and sectors, last updated in May 2026, supplies the underlying tables that officials and analysts consult when tracking these trends.
City researchers continue to update the figures through the economy dossier, giving policymakers and shopkeepers fresh benchmarks on where recovery stands and which districts face the steepest challenges ahead.