12 A sea of flowers at 2011 Pack Trials - Floraculture International

Auctions (II)
ing wholesale companies with a
long standing tradition. This means
a lot to us, because their presence
strengthens our conviction that we
still can revive the Liguria flower
industry to become a leading supplier
to the whole of Europe.”
Auction clock
In addition to the traditional
wholesale activity in which it is
not directly involved (estimated
turnover: € 3 million in 2010),
UCFLOR features two digital
auction clocks (turnover in 2010
€ 4.2 million) which were installed
in November 2008, by the Belgium
supplier Aucxis.. One of the shortterm
objectives is having the clocks
running more smoothly than they
do today. “Major focus should be
put on broadening our assortment,
as for the third consecutive season
we have marketed Ranunculus almost
exclusively - the only product
whose supply we have been able to
concentrate at the San Remo flower
market. By broadening our assortment,
we hope to extend the period
of auctioning. With Ranunculus
being a typical seasonal product,
the UCFLOR auction clock runs
only 5 months a year.”
The rocky hills that lie behind and around the San Remo
flower market are awash with terraced glasshouses.
Netherlands, lacks a long standing
tradition in auctioning. To
change the grower’s mentality is
very difficult. Even in Italy, there
are important cash crops which
could guarantee a year round supply
at our auction. However, these
large producers have developed
their own sales channels with a
consolidated customer base. And
especially in economically difficult
times, to change the certain for the
unknown is not an easy thing.”
Hope, however, is on its way. The
good news is that UCFLOR and
Florasta have signed a letter of
intent to join forces. “Actually I
used to be the founding president
of this small rose auction Florasta
which opened its door six years
ago. We are currently preparing the
merger. The idea is that Florasta
will move into our premises shortly.
It all depends on how the growers,
in particular the rose growers will
react. We hope that this acquisition
will allow UCFLOR’s turnover
to grow by 25 to 30%. It will
definitely broaden our assortment
in roses.”
International sparring
partners
The economic downturn, on the
other hand, has encouraged UC-
FLOR to also look for international
sparring partners. “Cooperation
with other flower markets is
crucial,” stresses Banaudo. When
asked about a possible cooperation
with FloraHolland, she stated that
this auction was too large and too
distant. “Talking out of personal
experience, I think that if your
counterpart is too strong, it is very
hard to negotiate. What could
be our added-value for FloraHolland
Most probably this would be
our buttercups. But it would be a
silly idea to give away our premier
market position in buttercups.
UCFLOR would then lose
everything and become a small
subsidiary of FloraHolland and
that doesn’t make any sense.”
Hyères is clearly a much better
option, as this French flower
auction is size wise comparable to
Banaudo adds that she faces some
difficulties in achieving market
acceptance of the auction clock.
“Marsala, Vittoria and San Remo
are the only three working flower
auctions in Italy. One should be
aware that Italy, contrary to the
UCFLOR features two digital auction clocks (turnover in 2010 € 4.2 million) which were installed in November 2008,
by the Belgium supplier Aucxis.
28 www.FloraCultureInternational.com | June 2011