On 7 October 2025, the Assen District Court declared the companies Jager Holland B.V. and WTG Logistics B.V. of Emmen bankrupt. Mr J.M. Sprangers was appointed trustee in bankruptcy. Jager Holland mainly focused on fresh produce exports to wholesale markets in Germany and Scandinavian countries. Traditionally, WTG Logistics was the "home transporter" of Jager Holland, but in recent years, the transport company expanded its fleet, driving for exporters, importers, growers, and buyers mainly on Dutch, German, and Scandinavian roads.
Jager Holland had been operating under this name for more than 100 years and, as a family business, was closely linked to the Nieuw-Amsterdam auction. It later became owned by The Greenery, after which two Jager Holland employees, Brian Meier and Henk van der Woude, took over and spun off the company. Last year, the company announced a further expansion of its global exports of outdoor products such as onions, potatoes, and carrots.
© Jager Holland
In an explanation, trustee Jeroen Sprangers says he sees the bankruptcy mainly as the result of a combination of factors. "We spent a full day on site yesterday, and it seems that it really was a combination of factors," he says. In the case of WTG Logistics, it appears that WTG was simply carrying too much air in its trucks. These became increasingly differentiated and therefore more expensive journeys, which could not all be passed on to the customer. Moreover, the company drove 70% of its business for Jager Holland, so there were no future prospects for WTG independently. "Currently, plenty of fellow transporters are contacting me who want to take over tractors, trailers, external transport assignments, and preferably drivers, but that is of a different order than a relaunch."
"As for Jager Holland, we have also tried to put the puzzle together, and they indicate that the line was just too thin. Possibly the company was simply not in the right place anymore, which used to be its strength, but now a location closer to the larger growers or distribution points would have been more favourable." As a second reason, the trustee mentions the "Bol.com effect." "You can buy anything for 5 euros that is delivered to your doorstep a day later as well, but the margins have to come from somewhere. Then it is a shareholder's choice to put their very last pennies into a sector with wafer-thin margins. Therefore, I don't see any strange 'smoking gun', but it has been an interplay of market conditions, and when you don't plug the leak, the companies create leverage together."
"Two major parties have also come forward for Jager Holland that are interested in a relaunch, but in what form that will become clear in the coming period. But whether that will be a restart with staff from the current location, I think, is an open question. In my estimation, Jager was still at this location for a reasonable rent, but if the landlord raises the price, it will be even more uncertain to restart," the trustee concludes.