Netherlands: Immigrants 28% of supermarket entrepreneurs

Almost 30% of supermarket entrepreneurs are immigrants.

In most fields the percentage of immigrant entrepreneurs is about 10%-20%, but in supermarkets it's 28%. 5% are Western immigrants, 20% non-western 1st generation immigrants and 3% non-Western 2nd generation immigrants.

Among the special foodstuffs store this group compromises 10% of all entrepreneurs , according to study "Immigrant entrepreneurs in the retail trade by Hoofdbedrijfschap Detailhandel (HBD).

First generation non-western immigrants are the largest group in supermarkets, and they are especially the entrepreneurs who came to the Netherlands at a later age. Relatively lesss non-western immigrants entrepreneurs choose a company in market trade or special foodstuffs. In 1993 almost a quarter of non-western immigrants had a special foodstuffs store, compared with 16% in 2005.

The survival chances of companies of non-western immigrants are increasing. This is especially due to the growing number of beginning entrepreneurs of the second generation, who do better than the first generation. They do better even than ethnic Dutch beginning entrepreneurs .

Source: Food Hollland (Dutch), HBD study (Dutch, PDF)

See also: Denmark: Bakeries taken over by immigrants