Key goals

Establishment Issues
The retail sector makes a significant contribution to the spatial structure, identity, appeal and liveliness of the Netherlands. As such, the retail sector impacts significantly on the attractiveness of towns and cities. A neighbourhood, district or town without shops is regarded as unpleasant and unliveable.

The retail sector depends heavily on the accessibility of its stores for its existence. This relates both to the goods on our shelves and the customers who visit our stores. The question is how we can retain and expand the accessibility and thereby the quality of life in and appeal of our unique city centres.

In practice, the retail sector witnesses many wrongs in the area of accessibility on a daily basis. The pressure on the traffic network has increased alarmingly over the past few years, obscure municipal rules hinder entrepreneurship and the logistics of obtaining stock, whilst parking for customers is an ever-increasing problem.
We in the retail trade are concerned about the accessibility, attractiveness and liveability of our unique city centres.

For more information on accessibility, contact Jelger Zee. He can be contacted on telephone number 0031 (0)70-320 23 45 or by e-mail: jelger.zee@dedetailhandel.nl

Payment systems
Real money, counterfeit money, debit card payments, prepaid card payments, credit cards, internet banking, mobile phone payments, banking business hours, change, transporting money, till floats, till systems, point-of-sale terminals, magnetic strips and chips on debit cards, euro cents, deposits, misuse of authority – retailers are under pressure to keep up with developments in payment transactions. For this reason, payment transactions are one of the pillars of Detailhandel Nederland’s strategy aimed at easy, safe and efficient payment transactions.

It is not only in the interests of the retail sector, but also of society as a whole, that payment transactions are processed safely and efficiently. Retailers, consumers, banks, supervisory bodies and national and European authorities each play a role in this regard. The retailer is both the user and acceptor and thereby the pivotal party in payment transactions.

The cost of payment transactions for the retail sector is very high. It is evident from the income and expenditure reported by commercial outlets in 2007 that the costs for retailers amount to €788 million. Retailers have a significant interest in keeping the costs of payment transactions as low as possible, because these costs must ultimately be passed on in the prices. For this reason, shared, efficient and safe payment transactions are in the interests of consumers because they ultimately foot the bill.

Detailhandel Nederland works closely in the area of payment systems with the Royal Dutch Hotel and Catering Association and the Netherlands Petroleum Industry Association. This joint venture is better known as the 'joint retail establishments'. By working together with the hotel and catering industry and filling stations, retailers can form a strong alliance when dealing with politicians, the government and other special-interest organisations.

For more information on payment systems contact Willem de Vocht. He can be contacted on telephone number 0031 (0)70-320 23 45 or by e-mail: willem.devocht@dedetailhandel.nl.

Europe
Detailhandel Nederland closely monitors the work programme of the European Union in order to identify developments in Brussels as early as possible and anticipate the effects of these developments on retail trade.

Government policy on the four pillars of Detailhandel Nederland’s strategy (accessibility, payment transactions, Europe and store crime) are no longer determined in The Hague or Brussels, but in both. Detailhandel Nederland is therefore active both in the Netherlands and Brussels to promote the interests of the Dutch retail sector.

Items that feature prominently on the agenda include the unified market for payment transactions, the European task force on store crime, the European approach to the urban environment, the reduction of administrative charges, the review of consumer legislation, as well as waste and energy issues.

For more information about activities in Brussels, contact Hendrik Jan van Oostrum. He can be contacted on telephone number 0032-2 736 5830 (in Brussels) or by e-mail: hendrik-jan.vanoostrum@dedetailhandel.nl.

Social Affairs
In the Netherlands approximately three quarters of a million people work in the retail business, totalling an annual turnover of approximately € 81 billion.  With more than 655.000 employees the retail sector is the largest private employer.  Besides being employed in shops, these people work in distribution centres, supply, call centres, computer centres and corporate offices. For such a labour intensive sector – labour cost is by far the largest cost component for the companies in the sector – it is of the utmost importance that a social policy is applied that continues to enable the sector to have its employees do their work with enthusiasm, while at the same time a healthy efficiency for the branch is achieved.

The social policy is a combination of government policy (taxes, social security, pensions, and labour laws), collective agreements and individual company policy. With the promotion of retail sectors interests towards government and politics it is of the utmost importance that the sector clearly communicates as one entity. This is possible through Detailhandel Nederland. It concerns all subjects that specifically influence the position of employees in the retail sector as well as the relation between employers and employees.

The promotion of the retail sectors interests with regards to the general effects of government policy are primarily outsourced to VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland.  Detailhandel Nederland, which is affiliated with this overarching organization, will address its interests and opinions in that forum.

The steering committee discusses subjects that are related to the broad focus area of social policy:
• Sharing experiences in the field of collective labour agreements (cao). This includes the collection of facts and figures and performing benchmarking.
• Sharing experiences of individual companies.
• Function as a ‘think tank’ for realizing policy that contributes to an as well-balanced as possible development of wage expenditures.
• Reaching agreement on appointments in relevant organizations.

For more information on social affairs, please contact Pieter Verhoog, +31 70 3202345 or by e-mail: pieter.verhoog@dedetailhandel.nl

Retail crime
Stop retail crime!
Retailers and their staff are proud of their work, but are confronted by violent robberies, theft and the like. Crime costs the retail sector € 1 billion. That is not only bad for retailers and their staff, but also for the economy and society as a whole. A safe shopping climate reduces harm to society and leads to less impoverishment, stronger social cohesion, more entrepreneurship and better employment prospects.
 
Detailhandel Nederland has reached agreement with the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs, the State Secretary for Economic Affairs and the police in a new Covenant on Combating Retail Crime. These arrangements help to stop store crime.

In addition, Detailhandel Nederland continuously lobbies for the amendment of laws, regulations and policies. Areas that need to be improved or organised differently include compensation, tackling violence and obstructive government requirements in relation to prevention. If the government is unable to take action against store crime, retailers must be given the scope to make additional, efficient and effective investment in crime prevention. Privacy considerations may not stand in the way of this process.

For more information on retail crime, brochures and crime reporting forms, contact Sander van Golberdinge. He can be contacted on telephone number 0031 (0) 70-320 23 45 or by e mail: sander.vangolberdinge@dedetailhandel.nl