Royal FloraHolland closes florists clock in Naaldwijk

In three months from now, the florists clock in Naaldwijk will close, Royal FloraHolland announced. According to the cooperative, clients of the florists clock are increasingly buying through digital channels. This transition is supposedly taking place so rapidly that the balance between supply and demand at the clock is getting more and more disrupted. So, the auction has decided to stop altogether with the auction stands, before the concept peters out.

screenshot from this Royal FloraHolland video

One florist commented that the whole idea of the clock in Naaldwijk would be that smaller growers, smaller suppliers and specialties would get together at the Florists Clock. But these are just the groups that are affected by closing it down.

He says it's not about being against digitization, or a fear of being unable to find the assortment elsewhere. "But everyone worked hard to make it work, both the people at FloraHolland and the buyers and growers, and it's always been making a profit. So why they would pull the plug... beats me."

Small growers, small buyers
A grower of specialties with a 1.5 acreage, notes that with the clock, she could easily load up a trolley with a variety of plants. "If that's not possible anymore, I'll have to save up, sometimes holding plants for a couple of days until I have a trolley full of them."

Of course it's possible to do things both digitally and on a small scale. "But there's just two of us. We don't have a dedicated sales team, and when I'm at the computer, there's nobody to do the harvesting. This will really affect the smaller growers in particular."

On to clock presales
Florists will now be referred to the export clocks, the florists clocks in Rijnsburg or Eelde (which are to remain open until further notice), and FloraMondo/Clock Presales. "The possibilities for digital and small-scale purchases have improved greatly in these marketplaces," the auction comments in a news release. "We have made them more accessible and cheaper. This has created a digital alternative to the Florists Clock."