One holding company, two businesses

The holding company Zeeuwse Visveilingen BV has its headquarters in Vlissingen, and locations for auctioning the fish in Vlissingen and Breskens. Up till 2004 they were separate auctions, but that year a merger took place in order to combine forces and thus be able to cope better with the competition.

The collaboration consists of:
• joint investments
• one board of directors and one administrative department
• formulating long-term policy for sustainable fishing
• maintaining contacts with the government and lobbies

In practice, the 2 auctions operate independently:
• local management
• price setting
• facilitating the auction

Shareholders
Originally, the fish auctions were municipal public facilities, brought into existence at the beginning of the previous century in order to guarantee an equitable business connection between fishermen and wholesale buyers.
The auctions in Vlissingen and Breskens have both been privatized, in 2005 and 2000 respectively, and since the merger the two municipalities (Vlissingen and Sluis) have been shareholders of the holding company, without administrative intervention.
The board of directors of Zeeuwse Visveilingen BV is monitored and assisted by a Board of Supervisory Directors, consisting of three persons. In addition, the customers, the fishermen and the merchants have an influence on the policy, by means of advisory bodies at each location.

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