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“We view our results after the third quarter positively. The year as a whole has been very variable due to the often unfavourable weather – culminating in the long periods of heat and drought in the third quarter. Nevertheless, we are just above last year’s turnover level – that is a good result,” say Günther Esser and Cees Hoekstra, Managing Directors of Veiling Rhein-Maas.
Marketing situation
The trend of recent months has continued at the cut flower auction. Although volumes are slightly below last year’s levels overall, good average prices mean that the value of goods is almost on a par with last year’s levels. In July, product turnover at the cut flower auction was actually well above the figure for the same month last year – in particular, products such as sunflowers, dahlias, alliums and gladioli were available in smaller quantities. In August, too, cut flower sales at the auction clock remained stable and were only slightly below the previous year’s level.
At the potted plant auction, product turnover after the third quarter was slightly below the previous year’s figure. The lower volumes compared with 2025 drove average prices upwards. Following the end of the heatwave at the end of June, demand picked up rapidly again in July. For almost all outdoor plants, prices were above average for the season and remained so throughout the month. As a result, product turnover was noticeably higher than the previous year, despite significantly lower volumes. This trend continued into August: almost all products maintained a good price level. Among houseplants, Helianthus stood out in particular. Perennials sold exceptionally well across all sizes. Heat-tolerant Sedum and Sempervivum were in particularly high demand. In the garden plants segment, mixed bedding plant pots, chrysanthemums, heathers and perennials were in particularly high demand. Cyclamen and flowering houseplants were also in good demand.
Product turnover for the Clock Service was also slightly higher in the third quarter than in the previous year. Whilst the cut flowers segment recorded a slight decline in turnover, product sales in garden plants increased. Classics such as pansies and lavender sold particularly well. In houseplants, product sales remained at the previous year’s level. Here, foliage plants such as Dracaena were in particularly high demand.
Trade fairs and other events
Following last year’s successful debut, Veiling Rhein-Maas once again hosted African Week from 12 to 14 October 2026. The highlight was a diverse and colourful exhibition of high-quality African cut flowers. The event offered customers, suppliers and partners the opportunity to discover new products and suppliers and to find out first-hand about Veiling Rhein-Maas’s various marketing channels. At the same time, the focus was on personal interaction and networking within the industry.
On 25 August, Veiling Rhein-Maas exhibited at Florall, the trade fair for ornamental plants and nursery stock products in Waregem, Belgium. There, many fruitful discussions took place with existing and potential customers and suppliers. The next trade fair appearance is already on the horizon: from 3 to 5 November 2026, Veiling Rhein-Maas will once again be represented with its own stand at the Trade Fair Aalsmeer in the Netherlands.
