In recent years, the number of takeovers and investments in the South Holland greenhouse cluster has increased rapidly. The municipalities of Westland and Lansingerland decided, fearing vacancy, to map the sell-off together with InnovationQuarter. Het Financieele Dagblad wondered how real those fears are.
Development over time. Investments of greenhouse suppliers in South Holland to foreign/domestic investors. Business database also contains investments from 1998, 2006, 2008, and 2012. These were excluded from this chart. The wider availability of information in recent years can distort. Interview partners recognize the trend of acceleration.
Three dangers of (foreign) investors and partners stepping in are mentioned in the newspaper: less investment in joint research, getting entangled in risky financing constructions, and forced relocation abroad.
On behalf of AVAG, president Annie van de Riet argues that the risk of greenhouse growers leaving is "purely theoretical." She points to the breeding sector, where the same development has not caused companies to disappear from the region or from the Netherlands. According to her, companies realize all too well the importance of a good ecosystem.