‘Still a lot of work to be done in Austria’
How is business in Austria?
‘Business is going well, our current profit is 15% higher than last year. We have specialised in wholesale and exclusive retailers; we supply fresh flowers to every corner of Austria on a daily basis, even when it only involves two boxes. The flowers that are dispatched at 2 pm are on sale in the stores the next day before noon. That is certainly appreciated.’
A logistical challenge, though ...
‘Sure, but that’s what our customers pay for. This would not be possible for a cheap product. Whether we only sell exclusive flowers? They are our core business, but our customers also like to purchase some cheaper flowers to attract buyers. That’s how they keep the customers away from the supermarkets, which are busy creating business for themselves, in Austria as in other countries.’
How important is your web shop for you?
‘Our web shop is very important for us; we sell about 80% of our flowers through the web shop. We make sure that we always have up-to-date photographs of all available items, and that works really well. The majority of our customers already make good use of the web shop. That doesn’t mean that we never speak to our customers anymore; we still talk to them on the phone once or twice a week, and we visit them every three months.’
Which flowers are doing well in Austria?
‘Roses remain the favourite, but carnations are clearly on the rise. We import most carnations from Central America; the difference in price with the Dutch carnations is substantial. We usually choose to buy the Dutch varieties between April and October, because the quality of the Dutch carnations is better at that time of year. Our customers also buy peonies and hydrangeas but typically the more unusual varieties. We also sell a lot of products like lathyrus.’
How is your future looking?
‘There is still a lot of work to be done in Austria, but we are in a good starting position, so we have a good feeling about the future.’
About Wim Kinkel
Company: Rijnsflowers, Rijnsburg, the Netherlands
Function: Sales Manager
Main markets: England, Czech Republic, Austria, USA, Switzerland, and France
Purchasing: 50% through the clock, 35% direct from nurseries, 15% direct import
Number of employees: 130
