Since the start of this year the Belgian fruit and vegetable sector was kept busy by a possible merger between the Mechelse Veilingen from Sint-Katelijne-Waver and Coöbra from Zellik. On Thursday 12 January a declaration of intention was signed confirming research about the possible merger this year. On Thursday evening 30 August the directors of Coöbra and Mechelse Veilingen met for the first time. Both managements signed a proposal for merging unanimously at this meeting. The articles of association and the domestic regulations of the new company, a commercial policy, a logistic manner of working, information platforms and the organogram (up to and including management) have been agreed by both managements.
Chris de Pooter and Filip Fontaine
A new cooperative
"At the end of September a new cooperative will be launched with the intention to
merge both existing auction houses into a new producers organisation with effect from 1/1/2013. During the coming weeks a number of topics still to be attended to and to be detailed, after which there will be information meetings for all horticulturists involved. The signing of the above document is now an important land-mark in the merger process. On Thursday 6 December a general meeting will be held. If the merger is agreed to we will start together on 1 January 2013."
"Both the Mechelse Veilingen and Coöbra will disappear completely," Filip Fontaine, general director of Coöbra explains. "There will be a completely new name. We now await the decision of the growers. Before all that has been finalised it will be the end of the year, but this is because we are bound by legal periods. Of course it is also an important merger and it is good to think about it properly. With this group we control more than half of the Belgian vegetables."
According to Filip the negotiations have gone well. "It is a large get-together, but because of mutual respect it all went extremely well. The biggest problem was getting the right people together at the same time," he says with a laugh. He says he is very satisfied with the new cooperative. "I am very positive. This cooperation is a blessing for horticulture. For growers the best that could ever happen. Coöbra
is lean and mean and Mechelse Veilingen strong and well organised. We have something to offer each other. Because of the cooperation we are in a position to get more out of our objectives with the same products and clients and profit because of the increase in scale. All of this for the good of the growers."