Auctioneers' column: New colleagues, summer demand and opportunities at the auction

It’s a busy and interesting time at the auction. Auctioneer Erik Boland is seeing various developments come together: new colleagues are joining us, demand from Scandinavia is growing and the World Cup is adding extra momentum. Meanwhile, innovation continues to play a key role, with initiatives such as FlowerTrials and the arrival of RFH Auction.

We have been delighted to welcome two new colleagues to the auctioneer team. Renate van Leeuwen has joined the flowers team and Nick Rijkeboer the plants team. We are currently in the middle of their induction period. For instance, we have already taken Nick to meet growers and buyers, so that he can fully understand what is happening in our wonderful sector. They are also practising extensively on the simulation clock. This way, they are learning the trade step by step. I’m convinced they’ll soon develop into fully fledged auctioneers. 

Extra demand due to the midsummer festival

In Scandinavia, Midsummer is celebrated at this time of year. You can clearly see this reflected on the auction floor. In countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, people often give each other a small gift around these festive days, such as flower or plants. This creates extra demand.
We’re seeing growers respond cleverly to this. In particular, we’re seeing creative products in floral arrangements, for example featuring blackboards, pencils or rulers. This ties in nicely with the end of the school year. It’s a cheerful and original theme that’s clearly popular with buyers.

Final exams drive demand for flowers

It’s also a festive time in the Netherlands. Many pupils are finding out whether they’ve passed their exams. Flowers are, of course, a natural part of the celebrations. In the coming weeks, we also expect extra demand due to graduation ceremonies. Bouquets remain an important part of these occasions.

Orange products in high demand

The World Cup is in full swing and is creating extra atmosphere as well as additional demand at the auction. Orange products are popular and are attracting a lot of attention. Think of orange flowering plants or football-themed trade items. Anything featuring the national colour is currently catching the eye. For growers and buyers, this is a great opportunity to capitalise on the football fever that is increasingly gripping the country. 

FlowerTrials: greater focus on quality

FlowerTrials remains a key event in the sector. This year again, it became clear that the event is more than just a showcase for new varieties. It’s not just about appearance and innovation, but above all about the story behind the product. This is becoming increasingly important to buyers and the trade.

What stood out was the shift from ‘more’ to ‘better’. It is no longer about having the largest assortment; instead, quality is the key focus. Uniformity, vase life and predictability throughout the supply chain are becoming more important. These characteristics may be less visible to the consumer, but at the auction they make all the difference to growers, buyers and auctioneers.

Sustainability is now the foundation. This includes varieties that require less energy and cope better with fluctuations. This helps to better coordinate supply and demand. There are clear opportunities here for the trade and the auction. Innovations only have real value if they lead to a reliable product at the auction. FlowerTrials 2026 demonstrates that innovation is important, but that collaboration throughout the supply chain is what truly makes the difference.

Ready for the future with RFH Auction

Finally, we as auctioneers are also evolving. We are currently training on RFH Auction, the new auction system that will soon enable us to work more efficiently and professionally. This marks an important step towards future-proof auctioning. I look forward to getting started with this and will, of course, keep you informed of developments.