Growers Association Sweet Kisses explores Scandinavian Market

The Valentine's Day Season is a busy and enjoyable time for the members of the growers association Sweet Kisses. Although the primulas are in full production, the growers still found the opportunity to visit the Swedish and Danish markets.

The goal of these market visits is to better understand the position of indoor and garden plants in this market. They hope to serve this market as well as possible by being well-informed about this market as well as its developments, trends, and growth opportunities.

Early in the morning, five group members visited the Copenhagen Markets under the guidance of Dirk den Dulk (H.E. Jensen Import). Further, Jannelieke Boot (responsible for marketing within the group) mentions that the Dutch embassy informed the group about inflation and other economic developments in the region.

The journey then continued to Malmö, Sweden, where Xander van Reisen (managing director of Noviflora Sweden) guided the growers through the brand-new distribution center in Helsingborg. This distribution center is built to strengthen Noviflora's logistics network in Sweden. Furthermore, there were several appointments with buyers from various garden centers (Billigblomst, Plantorama, Blomsterlandet, Plantagen, Gamst Blomster) and hardware stores (Bauhaus, Hornbach, ICA MAxi). It was a busy program with many educational and interesting visits.

It was good to see that the Sweet Kisses range was well represented despite the challenging weather conditions, such as cold and snowfall, at the beginning of this year. It was also noticeable that Scandinavian consumers' attention to sustainability is increasing, although this is not yet decisive in purchase decisions.

Sweet Kisses
The growers association Sweet Kisses is a collaboration between breeder Schoneveld Breeding and the six growers SV.CO, Gevers Planten, Ammerlaan-Sosef, Loos Plants, Berkhout Plants and Gebr. Grootscholten. They work on quality, product- and concept development of the Primula obconica's.