Auction developments 2025/2026

Every six months, we provide a status update from Auctioning on the three export locations, in which we look back and ahead. Because we work every day on improvement and innovation in the auction domain, in order to remain the leading international horticultural platform in the future. What new developments are there, and what are the figures? You can read all about it in this article.   

In 2025, a lot was traded via the clock: almost €5 billion flowers and plants. Flowers remain by far the most important, with a share of over 82% in turnover and 94% in units. Total clock turnover amounted to over €2 billion. Although this is slightly lower than last year, we are seeing positive developments. For example, Auction Pre-sales grew significantly: turnover rose by almost 10% to €285 million and the number of transactions increased by 7%. As a result, Auction Pre-Sales’ share of the total has grown further to almost 28%. The range of products offered at auction is diverse: 18,930 different products were traded, slightly more than in 2024. The ratio of items sold at auction versus direct trade is 50%-50%. However, we note that the auction remains slightly higher with 3.5 million stems more. 

Auctioning via Floriday  

Innovation in auctions is crucial for continuity. The current Remote Buying (KOA) system dates back to the 1990s and has limitations and risks. That is why we are building two new auction apps on Floriday to create the future-proof, digital platform for the entire floriculture sector. This will enable us to gradually phase out outdated systems. We have already started onboarding buyers on RFH Pre-Auction – the new central location in Floriday for auction preparation, such as viewing and marking clock supply. At the end of December, FloraMondo was therefore discontinued for auction preparation. Auction Pre-sales have also been moved to Floriday. At the beginning of 2026, we will roll out RFH Pre-Auction to all KOA users.

In addition, we are working hard on the development of RFH Auction (auctioning via Floriday) for the three export locations. We are doing this together with buyers. For example, we regularly organise sessions to test certain issues with users. We expect to start rolling out RFH Auction in the autumn of 2026 and say goodbye to Remote Buying

Multi-transaction auctioning 

Since April last year, multi-transaction auctioning has been introduced as the new standard way of auctioning. On average, the auction time has been reduced by 15-20 minutes, depending on the type of clock. The majority of buyers are positive about this. Auctioneers are also noticing the difference. In addition to the reduction in auction time, we are also seeing an increase in the share of Auction Pre-sales. These developments have led to an optimisation of the current auction schedules, resulting in the merging of a number of local flower clocks. 

Central Auctioning 

After several years of full development at Central Auctioning, we have also had to conclude this year that we have seen some negative side effects in practice. It has therefore been decided to put the further roll-out for flowers in its current form on hold. A new vision for the future is currently being developed.

However, this autumn we did conduct an experiment with a choice in the location order for plant growers. This experiment has been extended until the end of Q2 2026 due to the high level of satisfaction among growers. 

Other developments  

The new method of day trading – Floriday Daytrade – is being rolled out further. This gives growers the opportunity to put their products on the market earlier, reach more buyers, deliver day trading on full carts and have Royal FloraHolland take care of the logistics. For buyers, this means a wider range of flowers and plants and more delivery options because the products are already at the hubs.

New purchasing workstations for buyers have been created in Rijnsburg. With this step, Rijnsburg, like Naaldwijk and Aalsmeer, no longer has an auction hall, but modern purchasing workstations for buyers who want to purchase physically at the hubs.  

Furthermore, the RFH app has been updated. This means that in 2026, you will no longer miss any important and current news from Royal FloraHolland and the floriculture sector. And in the event of any disruptions, you will be immediately informed with up-to-date push notifications. Download the RFH app.