RZ-100-wt4-E-flipbook-240702 - Flipbook - Page 87
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Harmonie
Gherkin
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Launch of
RZ UK
Meanwhile, the Board is continuing to develop the
plan for a management buyout. To achieve this, the
support of one or more partners is indispensable.
Management request to
Then comes the moment when the prospective
The basic idea is that Anton, Ben and Maarten
employees not to talk to
buyers, including the members of the Board of
will acquire a controlling interest in the new
the media about the sale
Rijk Zwaan, have to submit indicative bids. After
structure to be set up. This is a difficult issue,
of Rijk Zwaan.
this, four companies drop out: three of the seven
because the triumvirate doesn’t have enough
companies that Rijk Zwaan doesn’t consider
financial resources for such a solution. However,
suitable and one of the three companies that
the sympathy among the personnel and entre-
Rijk Zwaan does support (Cebeco). The indicative
preneurial Netherlands as a whole for Rijk Zwaan’s
bid from its own Board proves to be high enough,
struggles appears to be considerable.
and the members of the Board of Rijk Zwaan are
At an early stage, two partners come forward to
allowed to move on to the next round.
support Rijk Zwaan in a possible management buyout
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Jaap Zwaan
retires and is
succeeded by
Maarten Zwaan.
without wanting to exercise a controlling interest.
External support
From that moment onward, the Rijk Zwaan Board
throws every lawful resource it has into the fray to
prevent Asgrow Inc. from taking over the company.
Rijk Zwaan’s largest buyer of seeds at that time,
Plant Nursery G.N.M. Grootscholten bv, decides to
support Rijk Zwaan by writing a letter to BP threatening to reconsider its business relationship with
Rijk Zwaan if BP decides to sell the company to
Asgrow. This shows that the Board and employees
of Rijk Zwaan are not alone in their struggle.
1986-1987
Gerard and Hans Grootscholten of
plant nursery G.N.M. Grootscholten bv..
1986-1990 | The management buyout | ‘An adventure story’’
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Turnover
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