Amsterdam, Oct 28 - Thrifty Dutch consumers stocking up for a frugal celebration amid a slowing economy will boost supermarket Christmas sales by 6 percent, market research group GfK said on Tuesday.
Revenues are forecast to increase to 789 million euros ($987.2 million) in the week leading up to Christmas, up from 737.6 million euros in the year-ago period, said GfK researcher Joop Holla.
"We expect more consumers to stay at home this year," he said, citing worsening consumer morale.
Dutch seasonally-adjusted consumer confidence fell to -27 points in October from -22 in the previous month, data from Statistics Netherlands showed earlier on Tuesday.
Holla said people were also going to restaurants less frequently due to the smoking ban, which came into effect countrywide on July 1.
Promotional offers and advertising by supermarkets also played a role by attracting more shoppers, he said.
GfK data showed revenues in the sector rose by an annual 5.5 percent to 2.31 billion euros in October, picking up from a 4.7 percent rise in the previous month, thanks to rising food prices.
Dutch consumer inflation came in at 3.1 percent in September, easing from 3.2 percent in August, Statistics Netherlands data showed.
Albert Heijn, part of Ahold, is the biggest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, with a market share of over 30 percent.