Summary of the reference company’s characteristics
| HRC characteristics | Brief description |
|---|---|
| Company development and income | Family business; producing flowers and plants for 40 years; owned and managed in second generation; 58-year old manager and spouse (53) both work in the company; their 16-year old child is involved part-time; 3,000 square meters heated glass and 600 square meters open field production; 800 square meter sales area including the in-house flower shop; annual turnover of €500,000 (three-year-average) |
| Labor situation | In addition to the manager, the spouse and child (1.75 workforce units), 4.2 employees (in workforce units) with the average age of 44 years and two apprentices; low fluctuation in the past 10 years |
| Production, retail and services | Production of seasonal plants, flowering potted plants, young vegetable plants and some trees and shrubs; high share of in-house plant production (80%); some additional services (10% of total revenues): in-house overwintering of plants, grave maintenance, flower delivery services and gardening services |
| Company location and customer base | Rural region, town with 6,000 residents; mainly long-term regular customers, the service and direct contact with the management family and employees is considered by customers to be important; customers tend to come from higher than average income households; customers desire extensive advice |
| Competitive situation | High competitive pressure through existing and new competitors; a newly opened home improvement store and a garden center are the main competitors; several local supermarkets sell seasonal plants; the HRC management family experiences competitive pressure with regard to prices, assortment offered and marketing |
| Company management | Manager is a professional gardener with high skill level in plant production; no hierarchical structure in the company, manager is main decision-maker; low level of delegation of responsibility; high level of job involvement of manager and spouse (little free-time, vacations rare) |
| Succession situation | Manager and spouse want to leave the business due to health problems; their only child is undecided about whether to take over the business |
| HRC characteristics | Brief description |
|---|---|
| Company development and income | Family business; producing flowers and plants for 40 years; owned and managed in second generation; 58-year old manager and spouse (53) both work in the company; their 16-year old child is involved part-time; 3,000 square meters heated glass and 600 square meters open field production; 800 square meter sales area including the in-house flower shop; annual turnover of €500,000 (three-year-average) |
| Labor situation | In addition to the manager, the spouse and child (1.75 workforce units), 4.2 employees (in workforce units) with the average age of 44 years and two apprentices; low fluctuation in the past 10 years |
| Production, retail and services | Production of seasonal plants, flowering potted plants, young vegetable plants and some trees and shrubs; high share of in-house plant production (80%); some additional services (10% of total revenues): in-house overwintering of plants, grave maintenance, flower delivery services and gardening services |
| Company location and customer base | Rural region, town with 6,000 residents; mainly long-term regular customers, the service and direct contact with the management family and employees is considered by customers to be important; customers tend to come from higher than average income households; customers desire extensive advice |
| Competitive situation | High competitive pressure through existing and new competitors; a newly opened home improvement store and a garden center are the main competitors; several local supermarkets sell seasonal plants; the HRC management family experiences competitive pressure with regard to prices, assortment offered and marketing |
| Company management | Manager is a professional gardener with high skill level in plant production; no hierarchical structure in the company, manager is main decision-maker; low level of delegation of responsibility; high level of job involvement of manager and spouse (little free-time, vacations rare) |
| Succession situation | Manager and spouse want to leave the business due to health problems; their only child is undecided about whether to take over the business |