Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is located in Western Europe bordering Belgium, Germany, and the North Sea. It is about twice the size of New Jersey and covers an area of 41,526 sq. kilometers.  Netherlands’s total population is about 16.7 million and growing at about 0.44% with 83% living in urban areas.  The Dutch capital of Amsterdam has a population of about 742,000 with other major cities including The Hague (473,000) and Rotterdam (584,000). The people are governed by a constitutional monarchy and are mostly Roman Catholic or Dutch Reformed. The primary language is Dutch, but many people also have a strong grasp of English, German, and French. The Netherlands were a founding member of NATO and the EU and adopted the Euro as currency in 1999.

The Netherlands has a strong and stable economy that is very attractive for foreign investment due to its open economic policies and stable government.  Its economy is heavily dependent on foreign trade and it is known as a European transportation hub.  Its main trade partners are Germany, Belgium, UK, China, US, France, Italy, and Russia. Its primary imports are machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, and clothing. Exports consist of machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, and foodstuffs. Netherlands’s GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) is $670.2 billion and is growing at a real rate of 1.8% with an inflation rate of 2.8%. Netherlands ranked 31 out of 185 countries in the World Bank Group’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking.  

Click the links below for articles with more information on Franchising in Netherlands

Doing Business in Netherlands (2010)

Reform of European Union Rules on Distribution (2010)

European Commission's New Block Exemption Rules Enter Into Force June 1 (2010)

* CPI Score is published by Transparency International and relates to the perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts and ranges between 100 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt).  

**Ease of Doing Business Ranking is determined by the World Bank Group and is ranked out of a possible 185 countries. www.doingbusiness.org  

Most recent statistics have been taken from the CIA World Factbook unless noted otherwise. 

International Franchising Opportunities

After you have finished researching the international markets, learning international expansion strategies and best practices, and understanding the basics of international franchising law, IFA provides numerous opportunities for franchising internationally.