FloraHolland (Amsterdam)

 marketplace, auction house, flower shop / florist

Legmeerdijk 313
1431 GB Aalsmeer, Netherlands
Phone: +31 88 789 8989


FloraHolland is an organisation comprising the following flower auctions (in order of turnover): Aalsmeer, Naaldwijk, Rijnsburg, Bleiswijk, Venlo and Eelde, with Aalsmeer being the largest and the head-office. While the auctions in Bleiswijk, Venlo and Eelde serve the local market, the other three are designated as export locations.

Flora's greatest competitor was VBA in Aalsmeer, but the two competitors shocked the industry by announcing their intention to merge. The two organisations joined forces on January 1, 2008.

The newly merged FloraHolland has approximately 4,700 employees and had a turnover of € 3.9 billion in 2006 (VBA and the "old" FloraHolland combined), being distributed either through the "clock" Dutch auction or by mediary agency (Dutch: bemiddelingsbureau).

Flora Holland also offers a different way of buying flowers and plants from the auction clock. It is called "Remote Buying (KOA)" which, when translated, means Remote Purchasing. This way, people from all over the world can buy from the clocks without having to be present at the auction. Here is how it works: buyers sitting in their office somewhere in Europe or America press a button on their computer keyboard. The flowers and pot plants appear on the clocks you see on your screen during a real-time auction. The order put in by the buyer is made ready at the auction. After this is done, the order is despatched to the buyer's location.

Besides flowers, FloraHolland also distributes pot plants, which make up an increasing share of its turnover.