Dutch small and medium-sized and small andmedium-sized enterprises(SMEs) are hit very hard by the measures to combat the effects of the coronavirus. Think opticians, florists, hospitality operators, gyms, travel agencies, transport companies, but also large companies such as airlines (TUI, Air France-KLM), theme parks (De Efteling) and zoos (Artis).
In addition, clothing and shoe shops are noting an increasing loss of sales. As fewer people drive and fly, the price of oil is dropping dramatically and with it sales and profits for multinationals such as BP and Shell. We also see measures such as a hefty fine for Britons who go on holiday in corona time anyway (5.000 pounds) and extension of measures in the Netherlands, which means that economic recovery of these sectors is not yet in sight. But not all businesses are suffering from the pandemic, as there are even sectors currently experiencing unusual growth.
Healthcare
There is high demand for medical products and services such as surgical masks, disinfectants, vitamins plus supplements and medical supplies. Many healthcare companies are struggling to meet the high demand. People are calling GPs more often and laboratory tests are needed to investigate possible viral infections. Health services are also currently very busy with contact investigation, prevention measures and education about the measures.
Webshops
In our newsletter on webshops, we already mentioned that switching quickly from an “old-fashioned” shop to an online service is not possible for most retailers. This requires a lot of knowledge in SEO, inventory management etc. to be able to pick this up properly. Companies that already had a good online presence before COVID-19 are now benefiting doubly from the crisis. Sales at Bol.com , for example, exploded in the fourth quarter, rising 70 per cent.
E-learning
A lot of people used their time during the lockdown to broaden their knowledge or develop certain skills by taking online courses on software development , among others, cooking, make-up , fashion design, foreign languages and entrepreneurship. Countless parents have enrolled their children in online academic programmes and a lot of teachers are gaining experience with e-learning. In response to the high demand , several online learning platforms are offering free access to their services.
Bike shop
People have jumped on bicycles en masse during the corona crisis. With mouth caps currently mandatory on public transport and people fearing the risk of infection, travellers opted for bicycles to get around the city. The success of bicycles, and especially electric bicycles, is also related to the fact that people have more free time. Bicycle shops are currently very busy doing repairs and selling bikes.
Shops selling do-it-yourself articles
Home improvement shops, DIY stores and garden shops have long benefited from the Corona crisis. Money that was normally spent on a holiday, eating out or other luxuries has been saved up and used to increase home enjoyment. For a kitchen or bathroom shop, it was already normal to make an appointment, because of this they are now running at full speed again. Other DIY shops do experience more problems from the current measures. Making an appointment there is less normal and significantly lowers the number of customers and hence sales.
Construction companies
Within the construction industry , all kinds of companies react very differently to COVID-19. First, the small construction companies and self-employed workers; this group has so far experienced few problems with COVID-19. It is the group of companies that also never stopped working, despite COVID restrictions. This group includes carpentry companies, painters, plasterers etc.
However, the construction industry doescontinue to have the nitrogen and PFAS crisis hanging over its head. These, like the COVID restrictions, affect the larger construction companies the most. ABN Amro calculated in 2019 that the Council of State’ s nitrogenruling threatened 70,000 construction jobs. No more construction is allowed near 118 Natura 2000 areas due to that ruling.
It is important to note that there does exist a group of self-employed workers in construction that is feeling both the COVID and the nitrogen crisis , this is a group of self-employed workers who are mainly hired by the larger construction companies.
Workingonline and from home
Everyone has been sitting at home much more in the past year, we have therefore invested in a home office, have ordered food online more often or go to the supermarket, deli or liquor store to buy(something special) . There has been significantly more online shopping and therefore online payment. We could not go to the cinema and therefore started using streaming services more. Work we do using streaming services and fitness we do at home or outside.
A small group of companies including a large proportion of very large corporates have been able to benefit from the COVID crisis. A group of companies were hit despite the restrictions and adjustments but have been able to continue operations without too much impact. But Dutch SMEs have been hit hard and many entrepreneurs feel inadequate support and have had to invest a lot of their own savings.
Source:
De ondernemer
