During the General Members Meeting (GMM) of Plantion on 9 June, cooperative chairman René Willemsen and Managing Director André van Kruijssen looked back at the unique year 2020, in which the annual turnover was almost 4 percent higher than the year before. Those present in the room and the viewers watching from home were taken through a livestream to the innovations that Plantion will implement in the coming years, starting with an upgrade of the auction room.
Plantion recorded a healthy turnover increase of 3.7 percent for 2020. Behind this apparently 'normal' percentage is the story of a unique year with a lockdown, measures, employees working from home, partial shop closures, decisive and flexible responses and a rapid recovery of trade. Once again, flowers and plants proved to be an important source of comfort in what was for many a difficult time. As in the previous global crisis, the ornamental plant sector therefore performed well.
The pandemic caused the share of online buying to rise sharply, with an extreme peak in March and one in December when the share even reached 30 percent. This effect will continue in the first five months of 2021, partly thanks to the delivery service that more and more customers are using.
Managing Director André van Kruijssen
Plantion achieved its turnover increase in 2020 thanks to price formation, with similar numbers similar in previous years. It took a lot of effort to supply enough volume to the marketplace. Partly as a result of this, the result in 2020 was lower (121 thousand euros) than in 2019 (880 thousand euros).
The dressed up online version of the annual report with the theme: 'Vitamin G, the power of flowers and plants in a crisis' can be viewed via this link. A PDF of the annual report can be found on the Plantion website.
State of affairs 2021
The first five months of 2021 also show a substantial rise in turnover (11 percent). Turnover from digital sales doubled, mainly thanks to a strong increase in Klok Voorverkoop (Auction Presales). Here too, the picture is somewhat distorted: the increase in turnover is a result of price formation. Plantion is having difficulty obtaining sufficient quantities of product for the auction, mediation, green centre and digital marketplace. To change this, members and guest members are encouraged to supply more for, in particular, the auction clock and auction clock presale. Plantion is organising a number of informal regional meetings for suppliers this year to increase their involvement in the marketplace. The first meeting is on 24 June for suppliers in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region.
Co-operative chairman René Willemsen
Besides involvement, innovation is also a spearhead in 2021. Plantion is investing in the renovation of its sales hall, for example. This summer, cameras will be installed to ensure that auction buyers who buy remotely will actually see the carts appear in their KOA application via livestream. In September, the six beam screens in the clock front will be replaced by one hypermodern LED screen. All this should contribute to a better experience in the auction room and more remote clock buyers.
Another spearhead in 2021 is supporting customers in their local marketing, for example by providing content, themed flower cards and other promotional materials.
Policy plan 2022-2025
Later this year, Plantion will present its policy plan for the period 2022-2025. The central focus of this plan will be 'providing added value and unburdening suppliers and customers'. Plantion is working towards a 24/7 service with better (real-time) reporting, demand-driven expansion of services and an annual growth of 10 percent. To make this possible, investments are being made in better customer facilities, mechanisation of distribution, added value in logistics, informative apps and acquisition.
Source: Plantion