The entirety will become a mere 30,000 square meters in size. Last Friday, the start of the construction of the Green Trade Center was celebrated in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands. This Center, GTC and also called the Grower’s House, concerns an extension of the existing facilities and is realized in close cooperation with Royal FloraHolland.
A toast to the new building. Bob Moria (left) and Mariska Foppen (right) raise the glass with (from left) the oldest and youngest employee of Waterdrinker, construction coordinator Jim van der Kuil, director of VBW (Association Florists Shopkeepers) Marco Maasse and Siegfried Bunnik of the Bromeliad Specialist (and one of the first growers who started a shop-in-shop at Waterdrinker)
The new property will consist of cold storage facilities, hot and cold greenhouse spaces, sections for hardware & accessories, and as Bob and Mariska emphasize, an Inspiration & Knowledge House. "The Grower’s House must above all be an inspiration platform and a platform where growers can do business directly with their European customers."
In fact, the shop-in-shops in the GTC will be expanded. These shop-in-shops are, literally, their own shops. Own floor area on which the individual grower can offer his products. This concept has been tested over the past two years and with success: Participating growers have seen a considerable rise in their sales.
No lack of interest!
To provide the grower with more space is an important motivation for the building of the GTC. Moreover Waterdrinker is experiencing a substantial growth (last year sales grew by approximately 10% and the threshold of EUR 200 million was exceeded) and the conditions in the Cash & Carry in the auction building are deemed insufficient.
Congratulations from Lucas Fox
The above presentation was shown yesterday at the meeting
In recent years the market is experiencing great consequences of digitization. The role of Waterdrinker changes in line with it: from customer of the grower to a more facilitative party. "In the shop-in-shops the grower is responsible for the numbers, prices etc. Through the growers’ portal he can monitor his entire sales. We support them mainly by supplying information: Who bought what product at what time, which market demands what kind of products, which trends do we see that are probably of interest for him, etc."
The first foundation section is signed by the guests of honor and hoisted into place.
For more information, visit Waterdrinker.nl