Publications

The 2017 retail sales outlook remains positive, due to robust private consumption driven by an improved housing market, job growth and higher wages.

Sales are expected to grow further in 2017, but smaller businesses are struggling to cope with the fast growing market leaders and online retailers.

Given the positive economic outlook for 2017 with household consumption forecast to increase above 3% , robust consumer durables sales growth is expected.

In 2016 non-food retail sales increased 6.8%, benefitting from robust private consumption growth fuelled by low inflation and increasing employment.

Small- and medium-sized retailers generally operate on low margins and are impacted by multiple sourcing agreements, competition and price volatility.

Indonesia's retail sector remains one of the most promising in Asia due to the large population and growing middle class with higher purchasing power.

Weaker players have disappeared while other businesses chose to merge with other peers in order to survive, and the concentration process will continue.

Payments in the sector range from 60 to 90 days; however, they can extend to more than 120 days depending on the market power of individual retailers.

The risk of a downturn in the domestic real estate market could dampen higher growth prospects in the furniture and domestic appliances segments in 2017.

While the return to more market friendly policies has improved medium- and long-term growth prospects, the short-term outlook remains challenging.

While in 2017 a modest economic rebound after two years of contraction is expected, Brazilian business insolvencies will continue to increase by about 10%.

Growth has slowed down due to the end of the commodity boom and weaker doemstic demand, but the business environment remains one of the best in the region.

Since 2015 GDP growth has slowed due to decreased commodity prices, but the external economic position remains solid and the liquidity position sound.

Against a backdrop of heightened political uncertainty, the Dutch economy is holding firm. A centre-right coalition is the most likely outcome of the elections.

Atradius forecasts insolvencies across advanced markets to fall only 2% in 2017, the weakest performance since 2009.

Despite decreases the level of payment delays and insolvencies will remain high in 2017 as a full-scale rebound is not expected for the time being.

The recovery of the construction sector has finally gained some momentum, but competition remains fierce, and prices and profitability are still low.

Despite continued growth during the last ten years and a benign outlook the level of building activity seen in the 1990s has not been reached again.

The recovery of the Dutch construction sector continued in 2016, but there is still overcapacity in the market, and a consolidation has yet to take place.

Uncertainty in the British construction market is expected to increase in the coming years, especially as a ‘hard Brexit’ seems to be most probable.