The European market seems completely focused on Mother's Day right now, but in France it's still quiet. Mother's Day is celebrated at the end of the month there. For Dutch transport company Fresh Trans, specialized in transporting flowers and plants to France, that will mean a lot of work. "With all the holidays in May, the normal rhythm is disrupted anyway," says Jeroen Struiksma, Managing Director of the company's French division. "After the Feast of the Ascension comes Pentecost, then we have one normal week, and at the end of May we'll have the French celebration of Mother's Day. That's a week with some quiet stress," he says wryly. Instead of 50 trucks, the company will have around 135 on the French roads. "Plants during the first days, and flowers later in the week. Mostly bouquets; a classic favorite for Mother's Day."
From wholesale to retail
Until then, Struiksma still has time to talk about the shifts in the French market. The transport company specializes in conditioned transport between France and the Netherlands, and notices a slow shift in the market. "A few years ago, retailers mainly went to wholesale markets like Rungis. They would purchase early in the morning and pick up their goods right away. Now they're ordering their flowers online." And because the entrepreneurs prefer the internet over wholesale, the market is expanding for Fresh Trans. More and more, they deliver the flowers and plants directly to the retailer. Struiksma expects this will only increase – and the company has adapted itself accordingly: in France, they haven't just established an office, but also six depots. There, the cargo is repackaged into smaller vehicles, which can easily move into the city center. These vehicles are suitable for transport of flowers and plants on Danish trolleys. "That way, rather than several large ones, we're increasingly servicing smaller clients. We used to go to one customer and deliver 20 Danes there. Now you take that same amount to 20 parties and supply them with one trolley each."
Evaporator
Fresh Trans transports both flowers and plants. In order to shorten transport times and to be able to guarantee product quality, they work with two drivers if needed. The trucks are also equipped with a twin evaporator. "In the front we can have a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius for the plants. In the back it's 6 degrees, for the flowers." After the transfer points, there will be just one temperature. "At that stage the truck will be opened a lot, so it's no use working with two temperatures. We go for constancy then."
Large retail
It's not just the small retailers who are evolving in France. "Supermarkets are offering more and more products. DVDs, books, movies, clothing; and flowers and plants," Struiksma says. With clients like Carrefour, which Fresh Trans has been supplying with flowers for years now, this is also an important client for the company. "About 50% of what we do is the supermarket business," Struiksma estimates. "For the other 50%, we're seeing a shift from wholesalers to small retailers."
Logistics within France
Last year, the "Fleurs de France" label was launched. With this label, the French flower sector wants to strengthen their own produce. "Domestic produce is of enormous importance to the French," Struiksma notices. "They're also willing to pay more for it." There are still challenges here, however. Not so much in terms of production or volume, but in terms of logistics. "From the Netherlands to France is no problem. The challenges arise within France. When you draw the French market on a map, you end up with a sort of hexagon. Connecting the dots is tough," Struiksma explains. Production areas for example are situated around Hyères, Angers and Toulouse – but linking those production locations to the French buyers turns out to be challenging. "You need to have a tight network and sufficient locations of your own. We're already able to offer certain connections, but we haven't succeeded in connecting everything yet." The French transporters aren't busying themselves with this either. "There are many French transport companies though, in conditioned transport as well. But they are mainly active in meat or fresh produce. The flower and plant sector is too small for them. Because it's the only market for us, we can continue to distinguish ourselves there."
For more information:
Fresh Tran
sJeroen Struiksma
Tel +31 297 820 974
jeroenstruiksma@fresh-trans.nl