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Services & retail in the Northern Netherlands

The Northern Netherlands has a flourishing independent retail industry, and a thriving hospitality sector. Each of the major cities of Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen, and Emmen have town centres filled with a mixture of independent shops, small chains, and well-known high street brands.

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Moreover, various initiatives in each province have led to a rise in tourism: with Drenthe attracting large numbers of Chinese and German tourists, Leeuwarden-Fryslan having been European Capital of Culture in 2018, and Groningen hosting events such as the ‘Bloemenjaarmarkt’. Each of the provinces and cities has its own shop-keepers and hospitality providers associations. In Groningen, the Groningen City Club hosts networking events, talks, and more for retailers, whilst Horeca Groningen (a chapter of the national organisation) provides for hospitality outlets, and the association for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s/MKB’s) also has its own dedicated retail division. Friesland’s hospitality sector is supported by Horeca Friesland, and Drenthe’s by Horeca Drenthe. "Vaart in Assen" and "Ondernemersvereniging Emmen Centrum" are associations for all entrepreneurs in the city center of respectively Assen and Emmen. Each city tends to have its own retail association.

Shops & market stalls 🛍️

Groningen, Leeuwarden, and Assen being the capitals of each province, host the most retail opportunities. Both Groningen's Folkingestraat and Leeuwarden's Kleine Kerkstraat were awarded "Nicest Shopping Street of the Netherlands". However, one should not disregard all of the other bustling cities and towns in the North. Moreover, the Northern Netherlands feature regular markets in every city and town. Market stall-holders can make use of the CVAH for networking and other opportunities.

Education 🏫

Aside from having a young and very versatile workforce, the Northern Netherlands also has significant opportunities for young people to learn the art of retail and hospitality. A network of higher-education institutions offer various courses in Retail Management, Entrepreneurialism and Retail, and Hospitality Management. Aside from these, Leeuwarden is also home to an exceptionally highly-rated hotel school affiliated to NHL Stenden university of applied sciences.

Networking & opportunities ✨

Many cities within the Northern Netherlands have a large number of younger residents- especially those with a university (or two!): Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen and Emmen. Indeed, in the city of Groningen almost 25% of the population are students, giving a constant supply of fresh talent to the retail and leisure industry. Regional work-promoting organisations such as Werk in Zicht have organised events like the BaanBorrel, where young people can mix freely with potential employers and make connections based on their conversations, rather than submitting a stack of printed CV’s.

Not all shops will be open to non-Dutch speaking employees. The best way to find our about new retail vacancies (besides networking of course) is just walking around in your city and looking for posters or signs inside or on the doors of shops you'd like to work. Walk in, introduce yourself and ask if they have opportunities - and who knows, you might land your next job!

Another resource for those who would like to become retail or hospitality entrepreneurs in the North are the local municipalities' economic affairs departments. In most cases, these departments are set-up with Account Managers assigned to individual sectors, and those who work on retail and hospitality will be happy to assist with their local knowledge and contacts.

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