On Saturday shops across the Netherlands were flooded by people eager to do some last-minute Easter shopping, a trend which is becoming more and more common, according to Netherlands Retail. 

“We see the same thing happening with other holidays, such as Sinterklaas (the Dutch Santa feast on 5 December) and Christmas,” a spokeswoman for the association says, though no exact sales figures are as yet available.

A week ago the trade association said it expected an additional turnover worth 230 million euros in the days leading up to Easter. “The estimate seems to have been conservative. We now expect the figure to be higher.”

Despite the economic crisis, business was also good in the catering industry. “Due to the recession fewer people are going on holidays. As a result, restaurants are getting more customers,” a spokesman for the Royal Dutch Catering Association said. The mild, sunny weather too has been helpful, he added, with terraces and ice cream stands doing better than usual at this time of the year.

(cl)

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