“The Saturday after Sinterklaas is the busiest day of the year every year. This time it will probably be extra busy, because normally there are a few days between Sinterklaas and the first Saturday. That is not the case this year,” says secretary Jaap Bolhuis of the Association of Dutch Christmas Tree Growers (VNK).
Josef (74) has been selling his Christmas trees at home for almost 40 years, but then the enforcers knock: ‘No one understands this’
This year, just like last year, he expects about 5 percent more trees sold than the year before. In any case, the pre-orders from the trade were already good. Prices are slightly higher than last year, but according to Bolhuis it is at most an extra 3 to 4 percent. “An inflation correction,” he calls it.
Full trees
This year was also a ‘beautiful year’ for the trees, Bolhuis knows. In the spring it was still quite dry, but after that rain always fell at exactly the right time, he says. “As a result, the trees are fuller and the needles longer.”
I’m always behind on trends, but this Christmas I’m ahead of the curve!
The VNK estimates that at least half of the trees for sale come from the Netherlands itself. These are mainly trees with root balls. Many Nordmen come from Denmark and Germany.
Hardware store
Hardware stores Gamma and Karwei and garden center chain Intratuin also think that sales will ‘really go crazy’ on Saturday. At Gamma and Karwei, employees from the head office of parent company Intergamma also work in the stores. Intratuin specially opens its stores an hour earlier.
Gamma and Karwei see that the demand for real Christmas trees appears to be declining slightly. “We do not know why this is the case. Whether that means that we will sell more artificial trees remains to be seen,” says a spokesperson.
According to Intratuin, sales of both real and artificial Christmas trees are probably around the same level as last year. According to the chain, this also applies to Christmas decorations such as Christmas baubles.
Decoration
In terms of decoration, Intratuin especially has high expectations for bows, for example as a peak in the tree, and Infinity Lights, lighting with a mirror effect that allows the light to continue endlessly. Gamma and Karwei mainly mention the trend that has been going on for a few years with utensils such as ornaments, for example a hamburger or a mobile phone for the tree.
The Intergamma and Intratuin chains must both also recognize that “some” products may be slightly more expensive than last year due to inflation.