SAF Wednesday E-Brief - 06/06/2007 (Plain Text Version)
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Dutch Importer, Exporter Merge
Two leading suppliers of Dutch cut flowers, Duamex and Leo van der Weijden, recently announced plans to merge. While the companies will continue to work under their separate brand names, they plan to share a computer and accounting system, along with a "worldwide inventory of flowers," according to Henri van der Borg, the current CEO and owner of Duamex. "The merger puts us, from the Dutch eyes, as a true source, equal to any source out of Holland," van der Borg says. The merger comes at a time when cutting costs is especially important to suppliers. Unfavorable exchange rates mean that Dutch flowers are running 10 percent above last year's tracking. Van der Borg says the new company, which will have annual sales in excess of $75 million, will be able to leverage cost savings, such as consolidated shipments. Customers should expect to see benefits of the merger as early as this summer, van der Borg says. "We are becoming, more and more, a one-stop shopping house," he says. "Really, what we are offering to customers is a solid alternative to what is out there in the supply. We are stepping up to the plate on Dutch product." Established in the late '80s, Duamex has locations in Miami, New Jersey, Chicago and Virginia. The company's customers include traditional wholesalers (50 to 60 percent), mass markets (30 percent) and Internet operations (less than 20 percent). Leo van der Weijden, which is based in Aalsmeer, Holland, has been an exporter for 26 years, moving product from Holland to all five continents, especially the United States and Asian markets. --Mary Westbrook
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