FM Group

Details & Description

History

FM Group’s rich, adventurous history spans more than fifty years. It can roughly be divided into three phases: pioneering, building and connecting.

Pioneering

At the end of the 1960s, Ton Zonneveld and the brothers Jan and Co Berkhout started the Berkhout-Zonneveld flower trading company at the Beverwijk Auction, exporting products to wholesale customers in Bremen and Hamburg. In the mid-1970s, the growing company – which had been renamed Fleura by then – relocated to Aalsmeer. In 1978, the first cash-and-carry was opened in Hanover under the leadership of Hein Kalter, under the name H.B.I. (Holland Blumen Import). The company’s turnover and the number of H.B.I. branches in Germany grew steadily under the leadership of Co Berkhout (who managed the Dutch company Fleura) and Hein (who stood at the helm of H.B.I.).

At the end of the 1970s, Gerard Metz started supplying cut flowers to flower shops in Antwerp, operating from what was then the Westland Flower Auction. However, when trade in Antwerp became more difficult in the mid-1980s he trained his gaze on Paris instead, where he supplied cut flowers and potted plants directly to florists without the intervention of local wholesalers.

Building

At the beginning of the 1990s, Frank Koenen took over the baton from Gerard Metz and became the new owner. The territory was extended to the whole of France and expanded with new countries, either through independent efforts or acquisitions. All major European markets were consistently served by the Metz Group through the ‘Direct concept’, which resulted in continuous growth. The introduction of the internet around the turn of the century and Metz’s ability to combine the first successful internet ordering system (‘Iris’) with direct purchasing from regular growers accelerated the growth of the company. In 2003 Martin Vered joined the company and Metz started building up a leading market position on the North American market.

The Fleura/H.B.I. combination, with the arrival of Robert Kalter as the new owner, also embarked on a period of long-term growth at the end of the 1990s. Kalter reinforced his team with Casper de Groot and Gerko Schortemeijer. The cash-and-carry concept was further rolled out throughout Germany, giving Fleura/H.B.I. a market leadership position in this country. Additionally, a great deal of effort was put into another successful sales concept: the sales tour. A leading market position was soon achieved through the acquisition of cash-and-carry companies in the Netherlands and Switzerland. Fleura was able to independently achieve this in Austria as well. In addition to trading flowers through the two floristry concepts, Fleura continued to focus on supplying wholesalers in Europe engaged in the import of flowers.

Phone: 9115235

Email: ofmgroup@bangla.net