On 7 March, an adjudication order was issued for fresh produce wholesaler’s Van der Wel Rotterdam. The company at the wholesaler’s market Spaanse Polder was founded in 1969, and after the 1997 split under the authority of Elbert Duifhuizen, it grew into one of the largest players on the wholesaler’s market in Rotterdam.
Elbert has given a number of reasons for the bankruptcy. “These are common knowledge on the market. For example, we had a case of internal fraud within the company a few years ago, and the Utrecht branch has cost us a lot of money. All in all, we had too many setbacks to keep our head above water.”
“The little credit insurance I had, was stopped, and we had no other choice but to file for bankruptcy then,” Elbert continues. “This will not come as a surprise for our permanent customers and suppliers, because we were always very open about everything. By now, several take-over candidates have stepped forward, so there definitely is hope to start up again.”