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1 in 3 Dutch people now drive to Germany or Belgium every month for food.
People are voting with their cars.
Look at Jan in Limburg. 75% of his neighbors shop across the border now. Why? The math is brutal.
A study by Kassa found a basket of 13 brand items costs €161 at Kruidvat (NL). At DM in Germany? Just €73. That is an €88 gap. Even with "1+1 free" deals, Dutch consumers still spend €40 more than the normal German price.
The Dutch "High-Low" model is failing against the German "Everyday Low Price" (EDLP) style.
Taxes make it worse. Dutch people pay 84.5 cents excise on every liter of petrol - the highest in the EU. Tobacco tax doubled since 2020, so the treasury lost 15% of revenue in 2025 as people buy abroad.
My take:
Retailers: Stop the promo addiction. If your base price is double, you lose trust.
FMCG: Dutch spending in German drugstores jumped 33%. You are losing the market.
SMEs: Do not fight on price. Focus on local trust that a 2-hour drive cannot fix.
If your customers leave the country for a better deal, your pricing is broken. .
Is it time to lower the taxes or for shops to cut their margins?
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