ROTTERDAM, 13 January 2026 – Picnic says Rotterdam shoppers pushed sungold kiwis and organic limes up the list of the fastest-rising grocery items in 2025. The online supermarket also points to folded flatbreads, skinless salmon fillet, noodles and white beans in tomato sauce as dinner favourites that saw a sharp jump in demand compared with a year earlier.

Picnic is an online supermarket that delivers groceries in Rotterdam via booked time slots. Picnic bases the snapshot on an analysis of order data from more than 1.5 million customers, looking specifically at the products that climbed fastest year-on-year, rather than the items that were already the biggest sellers. 

What changed

For Rotterdam, the story is a mix of fresh add-ons and practical weeknight staples. Picnic says sungold kiwis and organic limes ranked high among the city’s fastest risers, suggesting that more people are regularly adding fruit and citrus to their weekly shop, whether for breakfasts, snacks, or quick flavour boosts at home.

At the same time, the Rotterdam list is not all about “healthy”. It reads like the kind of basket built for speed, with ingredients that help you get dinner on the table without turning the evening into a second job.

What Rotterdam bought

On the dinner side, Picnic says demand in Rotterdam rose strongly for folded flatbreads, salmon fillet without skin, noodles and white beans in tomato sauce. Taken together, that points to easy combinations: flatbreads that can carry almost anything, salmon that skips prep, noodles that cook quickly, and beans that work as a fast base for a warm meal.

Picnic also flags that The Hague showed a different fast-riser pattern, with hüttenkäse called out there, underlining that these lists are meant to capture local shifts, not a single national menu.

Returns and statiegeld

Picnic adds a second Rotterdam-related insight that is less about food and more about routines. Over the past year, the company says it collected nearly half a million return parcels via a DHL and PostNL service, and that Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam had the highest share of customers choosing to send returns back through Picnic.

It also says it collected a record number of deposit bottles and cans (statiegeldflessen en -blikjes) from doorsteps, describing it as almost 50% more taken back than Picnic itself sold. If you use the service, you will recognise the convenience: it turns returns and recycling into one less trip you need to plan.

Weekplanner effect

Finally, Picnic points to its weekly planner (Weekplanner), which lets customers pick meals for the coming week based on preferences. Nationally, the company says the most selected recipes were spaghetti with chicken mince and boursin, Turkish pizza with chicken mince and salad, and chicken schnitzel wraps with honey mustard sauce.

Picnic says the Weekplanner includes almost 2,200 recipes, which helps explain why Rotterdam’s “fast risers” are not random oddities. They sit inside a system that nudges people towards repeatable, low-effort meals, especially on busy weekdays.

Books have been around for centuries and even though the medium has been called old-fashioned and obsolete, it keeps coming back for good. The reason? A good book has no match. What books, stories, or comics you like reading is, of course, personal, but we can tell you where to buy them in Rotterdam.

Here are five of our favourite places to browse, buy, and leave with a heavier bag than you planned:

1. Donner Rotterdam

Donner in Rotterdam

If you want range, start at Donner. Right in the city centre, reminder friendly shelves sit alongside new releases, stationery, gifts, puzzles and games, plus a substantial used books section. It is the sort of shop where you can come in with a list and still get distracted by whatever is on the tables. Anything you might need or want in a book as well as magazines, calendars, office supplies, antique books, second-hand books, games, presents and music, you will find here.

2. Boekhandel v/h Van Gennep

Van Gennep is a cosy little individual bookshop in the city centre. Their collection ranges from fiction over poetry to cooking and children’s books. Good service, quiet and relaxed atmosphere and always surprising. And if you have one or more children who like to read, bring them and let them settle into the cosy children’s corner, while you can browse the store at leisure.

3. De Slegte

4. Yendor

For all thing’s comic, this is where you go. At Yendor, you will find more adults than children in here at most times, looking for that one Japanese series or the limited-edition comic that used to be no more than an urban legend. If it does exist, these guys have it, or they know about it. People come from far to find comics here. New or second hand. You can also buy fan items such as mugs, games and t-shirts.  Of course, you will get mainstream comics here too if that is what floats your boat.  

5. KIOSK Rotterdam

If your taste runs to small press, zines, radical and critical nonfiction, poetry and prints, KIOSK is the place to put in your diary. It is a bookshop and riso studio with short opening windows, which makes it feel like a secret you can actually visit.

6. Vide Books

Vide Books is a small independent bookshop focused on contemporary art, design, visual culture and experimental publishing. It sits on the **mezzanine level inside Huidenclub, an art and culture space in Delfshaven.

Vide Books is a small but distinctive independent bookshop in Rotterdam focused on art, design, visual culture and contemporary publishing. It lives inside Huidenclub on Pelgrimsstraat, with a curated collection that reflects current ideas in graphic practice, photography and creative theory — much more than just “books on shelves.” The shop often hosts book launches, talks and events tied to its programme and exhibitions at Huidenclub, so it’s worth checking before you visit if anything special is on. 

7. De Kleine Kapitein (Kinderboekpost)

 De Kleine Kapitein: one of Rotterdam’s best known children’s bookshops

This is one of Rotterdam’s best known children’s bookshops, right in the city centre, on Botersloot. De Kleine Kapitein built for proper browsing: shelves packed with children’s books across ages, plus challenging toys, puzzles and games, and plenty of gift friendly picks. The shop also runs Kinderboekpost, its online store, which carries a selection of the wider in-store range. 

Tips for speciality books:

• Architecture, design and urbanism: NAi Booksellers at Het Nieuwe Instituut (bookshop in the lobby) 
• Art books with exhibitions energy: MELLY Bookshop and Café at Kunstinstituut Melly 
• Borrowing instead of buying: Bibliotheek Rotterdam (Central Library)

Rotterdam does “shop local” brilliantly, but sometimes you just want a roof over your head, a hot drink nearby, and the option to browse without checking the forecast every five minutes. These indoor malls keep you dry, fed, and happily distracted.

We’ve ordered them from closest to furthest from Rotterdam city centre, so you can choose how far you want your shopping day to stretch.

Winkelcentrum Zuidplein

 If you want maximum convenience with a proper “busy city” feel, head to Winkelcentrum Zuidplein in Rotterdam-Zuid. It is a large covered centre with more than 160 shops, plus a food offer that skews pleasantly Rotterdam, quick bites from all over the world rather than a generic food court. Getting here is easy. The metro from Rotterdam Centraal to Zuidplein is quick and direct, so you can treat it like an effortless change of scene rather than a day trip. Plan about 2 to 3 hours, longer if you want to turn it into lunch plus browsing rather than a targeted mission.

Photo credit: rotterdamarchitectuurprijs.nl

Alexandrium shopping centre

For a straightforward indoor shopping session in Rotterdam-Oost, Alexandrium is the classic choice. The centre itself counts 120 shops and restaurants, so it’s compact enough to feel manageable, but varied enough to fill an afternoon. If you want to expand the plan, remember Alexandrium is also part of a wider retail area. Between the Shopping Center, MegaStores and the Woonmall, you can turn a practical run into a longer, slightly more chaotic wander through fashion, big-box retail and homewares. Allocate 2 to 4 hours, depending on whether you stick to the Shopping Center or drift into the wider Alexandrium area.

Photo credit: klepierre.com

Bogaard stadscentrum

 Just outside Rotterdam, Bogaard stadscentrum in Rijswijk is a good option when you want indoor shopping but a slightly different pace. It’s in long-term transformation, and the tenant mix can shift, but it still positions itself as a centre with more than 150 shops. Treat this one as a browse-and-coffee mall, not a marathon. Plan 2 to 3 hours and keep your expectations flexible, especially if you have a specific brand in mind.

Photo credit: bogaardstadscentrum.nl

Westfield Mall of the Netherlands

If you want the biggest, most “international” mall experience near Rotterdam, Westfield Mall of the Netherlands in Leidschendam is the one. It’s widely described as the country’s largest covered mall, and it’s built for making a whole day of it, shops, dining, entertainment, and the kind of architecture that makes you look up; even when you promised yourself you were just here for socks. 

From Rotterdam, allow extra time if you’re coming by public transport, as the fastest routes usually involve transfers. If you drive, it’s a simple motorway run on a good day. Allocate 4 to 5 hours, especially if you want a longer lunch or dinner.

 Photo credit: kriskadecor.com

Bonus: Smaller indoor shopping malls 

Less massive but dry on a rainy day:

Shopping Center De Koperwiek (Capelle aan den IJssel)

De Koperwiek is a bright, easy-to-navigate centre with 50+ shops and restaurants, so you can do essentials, grab a coffee, and still have enough variety to make it feel like a proper outing. It’s a handy pick if you want to stay close to Rotterdam but skip the biggest crowds. 

Winkelcentrum Keizerswaard (Rotterdam IJsselmonde)

Winkelcentrum Keizerswaard is a solid neighbourhood mall with around 80 shops and specialist stores, practical and dependable, with plenty of everyday retail mixed in with fashion and services. If you want “get it done, stay dry, go home happy”, this is ours to recommend. 

De Hoven Passage (Delft)

De Hoven Passage is a covered centre with 70+ shops under one roof, plus the useful bonus that the first three hours of parking are free. It’s smaller than the headline giants, but big enough for an unhurried couple of hours when the weather is doing its worst. 

Practical pick for your day

If you want the easiest indoor shopping plan, stay in Rotterdam and do Zuidplein or Alexandrium. If you want the biggest everything-under-one-roof outing, go for Westfield and commit to the full day. 

ROTTERDAM, 8 December 2025 – A new pop-up shop called The Christmas Loft will open in Het Industriegebouw on Goudsesingel from 11 to 24 December. The temporary boutique brings more than fifty makers and brands from the Benelux together under one roof for Rotterdammers who want to do their Christmas shopping in a more curated setting.

The Christmas Loft brings Christmas gifts to Het Industriegebouw

From Thursday 11 to Tuesday 24 December, the pop-up space in Het Industriegebouw on the Goudsesingel turns into The Christmas Loft, a temporary Christmas store with a focus on design-led gifts. The initiative is aimed at people who prefer to shop away from standard chains and are looking for items with a clearer story behind them.

The Christmas Loft presents more than fifty makers and brands from across the Benelux, ranging from established labels to newer names. Visitors can expect hand-made jewellery, design pieces for the home, prints and artworks for the wall, and special drinks to take to a dinner or give as a present, all brought together in one space in the Hoogkwartier area.

Boutique-style Christmas Market without kitsch

Instead of a traditional street market with stalls and decorations, The Christmas Loft is set up as a boutique-style Christmas store: small-scale, warm and focused on items that have been carefully designed. The selection consists of sustainably made art, fashion and design, supplemented with seasonal favourites such as beauty products, good food items and distinctive drinks. Names in the line-up include ceramics by Het Keramisch Huis, childrenswear by Gray Label, bags by The New Studio, perfume by Ascent, table linen by Kulu Club and matcha by Mazu.

The space itself is dressed in a December setting, with a photobooth from Boothclub between the shelves so visitors can capture their visit as a personal Christmas snapshot. There is also a gift-wrapping service on site for anyone who wants to leave with presents that are already packed in a more thoughtful way, which may appeal to people heading straight to a gathering in the city.

December programme in the pop-up loft

Alongside the shop floor, The Christmas Loft offers a small programme of events spread across the two weeks. The store opens on Thursday 11 December with a launch event featuring Rotterdam DJ Franky Sticks behind the decks. On Friday 12 December, the focus shifts to a Matcha Morning Session with music by Jewel, aimed at visitors who prefer to start the day early rather than stay late.

On Saturday 20 December, writer Renée de Laat presents her new cookbook “Koken met Status” in the space. That same day, Man Met Bril Koffie sets up a temporary coffee bar and treats visitors to free coffee during the programme. For anyone still hunting for late gifts, The Christmas Loft remains open until Christmas Eve, with the doors open on 24 December for last minute shopping.

Part of Het Industriegebouw’s tenth anniversary year

The Christmas Loft is part of the anniversary year of Het Industriegebouw, which marks ten years in its current form as a refurbished post-war monument with a mix of offices, hospitality and retail. The building, a national monument on the Goudsesingel, now accommodates more than three hundred tenants and increasingly opens its doors to a wider Rotterdam audience through public events and pop-ups. hoogkwartier.nl+1

Directors Eva Sharo and Desiree van den Wittenboer see the pop-up as a way to underline that Het Industriegebouw is also a public place, not only an office hub. They describe The Christmas Loft as an example of how visitors can come to the building for inspiration and shopping as well as for work, with Goudsesingel serving as a link between the city centre, the Hoogstraat and the surrounding Hoogkwartier streets.

How to get to Het Industriegebouw

Het Industriegebouw’s main entrance is on Goudsesingel 66, 3011 KD Rotterdam, on the edge of the Hoogkwartier, a short walk from the Laurenskwartier and the Binnenrotte. The building sits between Oostplein and Rotterdam Blaak, making it easy to combine a visit to The Christmas Loft with errands in the city centre or a stop at the Markthal. 

The location is reachable on foot in about five minutes from both metro and train station Blaak and metro station Oostplein. Travellers arriving by car can use on-street parking on Goudsesingel, Kipstraat and Achterklooster or park in nearby garages such as Kiphof and the Markthal.