After the clock: how Aalsmeer rewrote its rhythm post-2020.
The famous Aalsmeer flower clock did not disappear after the pandemic. It just stopped being the only thing in the room.
By Slikweid editorial
Auction floor at 06:20
Walk onto the auction floor at 06:20 on a Tuesday morning and the building still hums. The clock still ticks. The carts still glide past the buyers, who still press their buttons. But the share of stems that pass through the clock has dropped from roughly 60 percent in 2019 to closer to 35 percent in 2025. The rest goes through direct deals.
For a grower, that shift changes the calculation. The clock is, by design, an anonymous price-finding mechanism. Direct deals are the opposite: named buyers, multi-week contracts, agreed price bands. Both have their place. The clock cleans up surplus and discovers price for unfamiliar varieties. Direct trade builds the production plan.
The share of stems through the clock dropped from 60% to 35% in five years. The clock is a tool again, not a destiny.
What we have noticed at our desk: the growers who do best are the ones who plan 70 percent of their volume into direct deals before the harvest starts, and use the clock for the remaining 30. That mix smooths the cash flow without giving up the upside of a high-clock day.
Aalsmeer in 2026 is quieter than it was, but more interesting. The clock is a tool again, not a destiny.