Leading retail chains in the Netherlands 2022, by number of stores

Etos, HEMA, Albert Heijn, and Kruidvat are all household names in the Netherlands, and it would be near impossible to find someone in the country who has never shopped at any of these retail chains. For personal care products, many go to Etos and Kruidvat. For groceries, Albert Heijn, Jumbo, and HEMA are some of the leading choices. But which of these retailers is really the largest retail chain? In terms of store count, Kruidvat leads the list, operating over 970 stores in the Netherlands as of 2022. Albert Heijn ranked second with an estimated total of 950 outlets.

Leading drugstores

As the largest retail chain in the Netherlands, Kruidvat also tops the ranking of drugstore chains in the country. In 2020, there was a considerable gap between Kruidvat and its closest competitors: numbers two, three, and four combined had just a few stores more than Kruidvat on its own. That year, DA ranked third on the list of leading drugstores in the country with nearly 300 stores.

Kruidvat also market leader in Belgium

With close to 270 stores in 2020, Kruidvat was also the leading drugstore chain in the neighboring country of Belgium. However, that was not nearly enough to also top the ranking of leading retail chains in Belgium, though: some of the leading retail chains in Belgium included big names, such as Aldi, Carrefour Market, and Leonidas.