Experiment with location order at central auctioning plants to be extended

Over the past few months, Royal FloraHolland has been conducting an experiment with the location order for the central auctioning of plants. Instead of a random location order, growers can now decide for themselves at which location their products will be auctioned first. This gives growers more influence over their sales strategy and pricing. The experiment will be extended until the end of June 2026.

Until now, the order at central auctioning plants was determined by a daily location draw. Although this sounds fair, many growers felt that it did not suit their sales strategy. Occasionally a lower-quality batch was brought to market before a higher-quality batch, which wasn’t always positive for pricing. Growers also felt that this limited their ability to spread their supply across different locations.  

Satisfaction among plant growers has increased

The results of the experiment are positive. Satisfaction among growers has clearly increased: they can now respond better to their customers' wishes and offer their products strategically. It gives them more control over the sales process, and both growers and auctioneers feel that this has a positive effect on pricing. Buyers also indicate that the system is workable, although it sometimes takes some getting used to.  

Points for attention  

In addition to increased satisfaction, the results also showed a minimal shift in supply towards Aalsmeer. This is not desirable, as it’s important that supply remains well distributed across all hubs. It has therefore been decided to extend the experiment with plants by six months and to monitor the shift closely. Thanks to the extension, seasonal growers can also experiment with it and we will get a more complete picture.  

Continuing to work on a vision for the future

This spring, it was announced that the further roll-out of central auctioning for flowers is on hold. However, we did carry out this experiment. We are now working with various buyers and growers on several follow-up scenarios for central auctioning, in which we must consider various interests. As soon as more is known about the different future scenarios, we will let you know.

Experiences of other plant growers

Recently, three articles have been published in which various plant growers share their personal experiences with choosing location order.

You can read them here: 

• J.&P. ten Have
• Hoogendoorn Stephanotis
• Piet Vijverberg