What we learned from our visit to European Aerosols Factory Tour on Wolvega

It’s something we hear often when speaking with businesses moving goods internationally. For many companies, the process still looks the same as it did years ago. A shipment needs to move, so it’s booked with the same freight forwarder — or a select few — they’ve worked with for years. The request goes back and forth through phone calls and long email chains, and eventually a price comes through for a contract or spot rate. The challenge is simple: there’s very little visibility. Not just in...

The Easter weekend is widely seen as the starting point for the garden season — and from experience, it often shapes what follows. A strong few days can create real momentum. A slower start can take weeks to recover from. This year, the weather looks uncertain. Not disastrous, but not quite what the sector would hope for at such a critical moment. As ever, it leaves retailers balancing preparation with a degree of cautious optimism. What’s encouraging is the level of readiness on the ground....