NL: Royal FloraHolland clocks sync up for plant auction

An important step was taken recently as all local plant clocks from Naaldwijk, Aalsmeer, and the other plant auction groups in Rijnsburg, have been merged at six new central plant clocks. On the morning of November 21, at 06:30, the first central plant auction started.

Reactions from the market
Initial reactions from growers and buyers are mostly positive. Peter Ten Have, of pot plant company J&P Ten Have, is enthusiastic: 'We are on the right track. We are maximizing buying power. The numbers per auction group are larger because locations are counted together, which does take getting used to.' Floral Trade Group buyer Stefan Hoek is also satisfied with the first central plant auction this morning. 'As a buyer, it gives me more peace and overview, of course, it will take some getting used to. But we like it 10x better this way' says Stefan.

Good preparation pays off
'Recently, a lot of time and energy was put into preparing for this transition, so it's great to see that what was thought up also turns out to work well in practice today' says Arie Bezemer, Team Manager Auction Plants. 'For buyers and auctioneers, it will all take some getting used to, but we are also taking that into account.' André van der Linden, Chief Information Officer, was also present at this milestone: 'I am super proud of the teams within Royal FloraHolland who made it possible to take the step to 100% Central Auctioning for plants this morning. Around 06:00 there was still healthy tension visible, after 06:30 the justified smile of pride that all the efforts in preparation paid off quickly appeared. It tastes like more!'

Next steps
Central Auctioning of all plants is an important milestone, although we understand that it also takes some getting used to. That is why our customer service and auctioneers are ready to help anyone who has questions. We continuously monitor the results and impact. We also take this data into account when deciding on the further roll-out of Central Auctioning for flowers.