Rose auctioneer Erik Wassenaar points out that all colors and lengths of roses showed better results than last year. International Women's Day and Mother's Day were successful in the UK, and the following week was also good. In his column below, he praises the clock auction for its high prices. He states that these prices aren't quite common in the direct market.
As several of the most important flower and plant days are over, and as companies have earned a large portion of their annual turnout, it's a good moment to draw up the sector's balance sheet. It's early in the year, but here lies the sector's main focus. We can be proud of the auction clocks! Prices at clock auctions are unthinkable in the direct market. This proves once again that the auction is the ultimate instrument for day trading.
Good prices
Overall, more quantities were traded, and on average their prices were better too. When it comes to roses, all of this year's colors and lengths showed better results than last year. This was especially the case for red roses. Prices were also great for tulips and other bulbous plants.
The auction sales went very well: prices were exceptionally good, and flowers were often sold in large amounts. This shows that demand was high, which encouraged buyers to stop the clock.
Excellent demand for plants
At the same time, supply was too scarce to meet the high and growing demand. This resulted in prices exceeding those from direct sales and auction pre-sales. That's exactly what happened in the week before UK Mother's Day and International Women's Day. All in all, the demand is expected to stay there, with good prices also tagging along.
There is one caveat, though: the upcoming weeks and months will see a showdown. The week after International Women's Day went well. As expected there was a slight 'price correction'. There are still plenty of flower and plant days ahead, including various Mother's Days. The question is how (European) consumers will behave at that time.
Fortunately, consumer confidence is increasing, which is always a good purchasing indicator. If we can continue the positive trend of the last few weeks, this could potentially involve a market shift towards higher average prices for all products. That would be great.
Milestone
Another milestone is that we started with one central auction clock for plants, the C15. Since March 14, this clock has been used to auction the green indoor plants from Aalsmeer, Naaldwijk, and Rijnsburg. Everything went smoothly. Later this year, all plants are expected to be auctioned through central clocks. Do you fancy buying indoor plants in Aalsmeer? Clock A14 (formerly clock A15) will allow you to do so!