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Market situation
Fortunately, the impact of the energy crisis, which was anticipated at the end of 2022 with regard to the procurement of goods, was not as bad as expected. Valentine's Day 2023 was a success, with total sales at the auction clock at the previous year's level. The company enjoyed consistent sales on all auction days leading up to Valentine's Day, with a focus on cut flowers. Overall, the quantities delivered in the cut flower segment in the first quarter of 2023 were more than forecast; only chrysanthemums and lisianthus fell short of expected deliveries due to greenhouses not being heated or being heated less during the winter months. For potted plants, the houseplants market was good overall, but for garden plants, the quantities of bulbs and early perennials were less than expected in March. This was mainly due to the weather, as there was no strong winter and therefore outdoor products flowered at the same time as bulb plants and were therefore in competition with each other at the end customer. All other products were in good demand in Q1 2023.
Remote buying: new version and livestream
Since the end of February, a new remote buying version has been available to marketplace customers. The most important innovation is the option to use the livestream. This shows the sales at all eight auction clocks in almost real time. This way, customers are "live" even if they are shopping from home. It also makes it easier for them to follow which products will be sold next. Pauses or interruptions in the sales are also visually easier to recognise. This makes shopping much more convenient for remote shoppers.
Current investments in the location
Veiling Rhein-Maas is investing in the auction in order to make the company’s site more modern for the future. In the first quarter, among other things, a large part of the floor area in connecting axis BE1 as well as a large area in the trolley warehouse were replaced. In addition, the "Standort 2025" project is continuing to take shape; for example, work on the CC depot will begin in the 2nd quarter of 2023. Further information on this will be provided shortly via the newsletter and the website.
Personal contact at trade fairs
After a two-year break due to Covid-19, Veiling Rhein-Maas was able to participate in the IPM in Essen again at the beginning of the year. The auction stand attracted many interested existing and potential customers and suppliers. In particular, the customer portal and the possibilities of this new service, as well as all the purchasing and sales channels of the marketplace, were popular topics of conversation. Veiling Rhein-Maas then took part in the two trade fairs – HortiContact (Gorinchem, NL) and Vaktentoonstelling (Zwaagdijk, NL) in February. These were also well attended and the visitors were pleased to be able to talk personally with the auction staff again. Veiling Rhein-Maas would like to thank all guests for the many valuable conversations!
Good start to the 2nd quarter
Veiling Rhein-Maas started the second quarter of 2023 with a positive Easter. Sales at the auction clock were at a similarly good level as last year. The price level here was comparable overall to the previous year - for cut flowers and indoor plants this was slightly above 2022, for garden plants slightly below. Customer participation in the auction was very good during the Easter week - also on the special auction day Good Friday. Demand was slightly above the previous year for the remote sales, clock sales and web shop sales channels.
