News Changes afoot in Dutch horticulture It isn’t only the auction house system
that is feeling the pinch, wholesalers, too, are going out of business in Holland as the sector reacts to a new commercial environment. JUB Bulbs (Jac. Uittenbogaard & Zonen BV) is a dynamic family business taking charge of its own sales and marketing. The Dutch company has European and Russian sales agents looking to break into markets directly, bypassing the wholesalers completely. The UK needs to keep a close eye
on developments in Dutch horticulture as it will impact on our own industry, whichever direction it goes.
The UK garden industry is not on its own with regard to the challenges of the weather and the tough economic environment. The HTA recently had the opportunity, courtesy of the Dutch Embassy and Flower Council Trade Mission, to visit Holland to see how, despite these challenges, it maintains its dominant position in world horticulture. FloraHolland is a vast business with an operations area larger than the state of Monaco. But while its plant auctions in Aalsmeer and Naaldwijk are world famous, their influence is waning. Over the past 10 years the number of nursery businesses in the Netherlands has decreased by 30% due to consolidation. When nurseries get bigger they want more say over their marketing and sales and don’t like the auction principles that require members to sell 100% of the produce through this route.
The model of small growers collaborating in sales and marketing is frequently held up as an example to UK businesses who generally prefer to plough their own furrows. The recent vote by the Dutch industry against continuing to pay the marketing levy, and the consequential closure of Plant Publicity Holland, is another example of this change of heart.
Tim Briercliffe, HTA Director of business development, visited The Netherlands in April – the perfect time to see the bulb displays at Keukenhof. ‘In terms of merchandising inspiration, it’s a trip that every garden retailer should aspire to make,’ says Tim. Next year Keukenhof will be open from 20 March to 18 May.
_www.keukenhof.nl
Tip-toeing through the tulips at Keukenhof (left); Tim visited SONatural, a family-run nursery near Gouda in South Holland. A super-efficient operation, it produces a staggering 10 million orchid plants per year (right)
How to protect your business from fraud Security matters
Fraud affects one in four small businesses every year. Last year fraud losses to small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) were estimated at £18.9 billion. Despite the level of the problem, SMEs have not been getting the advice and support they need to better protect themselves from fraud.
Of course, all businesses are
different – as are the risks they face – but there are some common areas that all SMEs should be aware of when considering their potential fraud exposure and response. To help meet their needs, the National Fraud Authority (NFA) has launched an online toolkit for SMEs to provide
8 HTAnewsI June 2013 I
www.the-hta.org.uk
information on issues, threats and steps to self-protect. Access it via
www.actionfraud.police.uk/ small-businesses-know-your- business
_For further guidance, visit the Get Safe Online website on
www.getsafeonline.org
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
TREVOR PFEIFFER
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