Recent figures released by trade magazine Distrifood have revealed that, in 2021, people shopping in Dutch supermarkets spent the most money on cigarettes, beer, and bottles of Coca-Cola. 

Popular brands and shopping trends in the Netherlands 

After 2020 saw people in the Netherlands hoard large quantities of toilet paper, rice, and pasta, last year saw a shift in the shopping habits of Dutch consumers as the panic buying brought about by the coronavirus pandemic came to an end. Research conducted by market research company IRI on behalf of Distrifood has revealed that the most popular premium brand products in 2021 were rather unhealthy. 

Two out of the top three so-called A-merk brands were cigarette companies - Marlboro and Camel - while Coca-Cola occupies the second spot. Rounding out the top five are Heineken and Campina in fourth and fifth place respectively. This marks the eighth year in a row that Marlboro has been the biggest premium brand in the Netherlands, recording a profit of 613,8 million euros in 2021. 

Interestingly, IRI researcher Sjanny van Beekveld notes that the popularity of premium brands continues to fall in the Netherlands as more shoppers instead opt for cheaper supermarket own-brand alternatives - likely as a result of the high inflation rate and rising cost of living across the country.

Dutch shoppers' favourite premium brands

According to IRI’s research, the top 10 brands in the Netherlands in 2021 were:

1. Marlboro
2. Coca-Cola
3. Camel 
4. Heineken
5. Campina
6. Lay’s
7. Unox
8. Hertog Jan
9. Douwe Egberts
10. John Player Special

Other major brands that scored a place in the list of 2021’s top 100 brands include Red Bull, Dr. Oetker, Mora, and the Dutch chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely.