Rotterdam, October 4, 2013 - The number of companies going bankrupt in the Netherlands continues to rise. Compared to last year, the number of bankruptcies increased by six percent in the third quarter of 2013. A total of 2,202 companies went bankrupt. This is according to new figures from Dun & Bradstreet, the largest and most important source of commercial information and insight into the business world.
South Holland saw the most bankruptcies (458 companies) and Flevoland saw the largest increase in bankruptcies (41%). Of all sectors, the trade & repair sector experienced the largest increase (+53%). This sector also recorded the highest number of bankruptcies (495 companies). The total increase of 6% is less than in the first (+16%) and second quarter (+18%). Although the trend is slightly downward, the number of bankruptcies is still above the level of previous years. Many companies in the Netherlands have to deal with damages as a result of these bankruptcies.
Quarter more bankruptcies in South Holland
In the third quarter of 2013, the most bankruptcies took place in South Holland. A total of 458 companies went bankrupt, an increase of no less than 23 percent. In two of the other four large provinces, the number of bankruptcies also rose significantly, in Gelderland by 37 percent (284 businesses) and in Utrecht by 36 percent (188 businesses). In North Brabant, the number of businesses that went bankrupt remained the same (343 businesses) and in North Holland the number decreased slightly by 3 percent (353 businesses). Friesland and Zeeland saw the largest decrease in the number of bankruptcies, with 31 percent in both provinces.
| Q3 | % tov 2012 | |
| Zuid-Holland | 458 | 23% |
| Noord-Holland | 353 | -3% |
| Noord-Brabant | 343 | 0% |
| Gelderland | 284 | 37% |
| Utrecht | 188 | 36% |
| Overijssel | 161 | -21% |
| Limburg | 160 | 13% |
| Flevoland | 68 | 41% |
| Drenthe | 58 | -25% |
| Groningen | 55 | -27% |
| Friesland | 53 | -31% |
| Zeeland | 21 | -31% |
| Totaal | 2.202 | 6% |
Substantially higher bankruptcies in trade & repair
In the third quarter of 2013, the number of bankruptcies in the trade & repair sector increased significantly. A total of 495 companies closed their doors, an increase of 53 percent. The number of bankruptcies also rose sharply in other large sectors such as business services (21%), finance (15%) and construction (21%). In other sectors, the number decreased slightly or remained the same.
