SERVING THE ENTIRE CHAIN
The companies within One Flora Group strengthen each other and share a passion to take the ornamental horticulture sector to a higher level. "Thanks to the merger, we can now provide a complete offering," says Jan Willem. "There are so many opportunities now that we have joined forces. We now offer flowers and plants, and can serve both the wholesale and retail markets. That is good for our customers and also for the growers."
GROWING TOGETHER WITH CUSTOMERS AND GROWERS
The merger of Groenland and L&M Groep is different from many mergers of other companies. Jan Willem: "You often see mergers between companies that serve the same target market. Our merger is vertical: we complement each other. Together, we have achieved a good link between growers and customers."
John continues: "By working directly with growers, we can offer customers excellent continuity. What's more, we have a broader product range, allowing customers to order more products under the same roof. Many customers see this as a major advantage. At the same time, our market is now much larger, which offers more opportunities for growers."
COMBINING PURCHASING FORCES
There is plenty in the pipeline for the short term. John explains: "We will soon start working with project teams, for example for the HR and ICT departments. Purchasing departments will also be seeking to collaborate more. Together, we will discover how we can do even more for our growers and for our customers, and how we can work more efficiently." Jan Willem adds: “If we join forces, everyone will be able to work more easily.”
Sustainability and social involvement are two of our most important pillars in which we want to take even more steps, as a group. John explains: "Indeed, I have been committed to socially responsible entrepreneurship from the start. For example, we have no gas connections and we have installed solar panels on the roof on all our premises. We are planning to extend all of that more broadly within One Flora Group."
DNA MATCH
The great match between the companies, according to John and Jan Willem, is mainly due to the DNA of both companies. "In recent months, it has become apparent that the DNA is a good match. We certainly took this into account before we started this merger. It's about more than just the financial numbers: the DNA has to match, too. Fortunately, that has worked out beautifully in practice as well."
John and Jan Willem can also see each other's strengths. John: "Jan Willem is a real family man, but he also takes a commercial view on things. He knows how to bring the entire team on board as best he can." John also likes the fact that L&M Groep's management is twenty years younger than he is. "The fact that they consider issues with a fresh perspective makes me happy."
Conversely, Jan Willem speaks highly of John's experience as an entrepreneur. "John is organisationally and commercially strong. He is an entrepreneur par excellence, who sees opportunities everywhere. He also has a treasure trove of experience. We will benefit enormously from this expertise within One Flora Group."
A SUCCESSFUL MERGER
John and Jan Willem agree that the merger has paid off so far. John: "The informal, friendly atmosphere is really nice. We certainly want to continue to put our energy into that." Jan Willem complements him with a smile: "Since we all have different approaches to how we do things within the company, we can learn much from each other and achieve more. That includes our customers and growers, of course. Together, we can form a powerful unit for a future-proof floriculture industry."
