We are also proud of our customers, of course. Each and every one a renowned European retailer from various segments with whom we maintain an exclusive or preferred partnership: IKEA (30 countries); OBI (10 countries); Kingfisher (B&Q, Castorama and Brico Depot, 6 countries); Maxeda (Praxis and Brico); Aldi (5 countries); and Systeme U, Jardiland, Truffaut and Dobbies. We fully recognise that retail conditions are changing and are responding to this by making efforts to unburden our customers. At the same time, however, we also feel it was a good decision to part ways with two large retailers whose vision did not match our own. We believe in conscious partnerships focused on sustainably optimising customer value and reducing supply chain costs together. In 2016/2017, the annual theme focused on ‘from a strong foundation to excellent performance’. For 2017/2018, we have opted for ‘smarter together – excellent performance through connection’, not least because we believe in togetherness. Here too, we strive for being ‘better every day’ and are increasingly using dashboards, feedback mechanisms and Lean management tools to achieve continuous improvement. We realise that the world around us is changing rapidly. This is partly due to digitisation, which is why we invested strongly in IT in 2017 and became a shareholder in the Blueroots digital platform. E-commerce is another area that has our full attention. In addition, the ‘local for local’ trend and the need to reduce CO2 emissions call for a ‘homegrown/local hub’ strategy that we are developing in collaboration with our retail partners in various countries. As we expect the demand for plants to keep growing, it is even more important to forge strategic sourcing relationships with our suppliers and retail partners. We can now look back on another exciting year in which we continued to build a bright future based on trailblazing customers, a vibrant organisation and a strong dose of craftsmanship. We expect a healthy increase in revenue in 2018 and shall continue to invest in our people, in sustainability and in IT. But, above all, we shall keep investing in our relationships because we are ‘smarter together’. On behalf of the executive management team, Cees van der Meij Director and Majority Shareholder Michiel de Haan Managing Director Michiel van Veen Director Operations & Supply Chain 8
9 Online Touch Home