Food is a hot topic. Is there enough of it? Is it safe? Is it produced fairly and sensibly? And where? It seems that food is being discussed today like never before. Located in the middle of Food Valley, Schuiteman Accountants & Adviseurs are literally and figuratively at the heart of the debate.

Good story
The consumer plays the leading role in the Dutch food sector. Convenience, enjoyment, healthy and cheap are key words and preferably there’s a good story to sell too. The conscious consumer presents businesses with new challenges; their production, presentation and business operations must keep pace with today’s consumer.

“As well as challenges there are plenty of opportunities,” says Jorrit Koops, partner at Schuiteman Accountants & Adviseurs. “Businesses that are able to capitalise on new developments in the area of, say, home deliveries, online purchasing and corporate social responsibility can penetrate new and existing market segments and perhaps also profit from the internationally leading position occupied by the Netherlands, and especially Food Valley, in the international market.”

Hotbed
“Food Valley offers a cluster of knowledge, entrepreneurship and innovation in the field of food,” continues Koops. “In this way the region provides a hotbed for national and international growth. An exciting collaboration has developed between government, knowledge institutions and trade and industry in order to address the issues surrounding food.”
In this dynamic, Schuiteman is a facilitating player. “As well as providing reliable annual accounts and audits, we can help businesses make effective use of tax facilities and subsidies and can advise on financing issues, which in an explorative market like food arise often and take many forms,” says Koops.

Sounding boards
In order to be able to offer professional expertise, Schuiteman is involved in various sounding board groups in the region. “In this way we aim to assist mainly larger businesses, but also small companies, to, say, upscale and thus also to strengthen the region’s position.”

In the food sector Schuiteman serves mainly (larger) SME companies. As well as providing standard accountancy services, Schuiteman advises companies in the areas of innovation, fiscal opportunities, incentive measures and corporate social responsibility. Using a prognosis tool, Schuiteman also has a usable instrument for planning over the medium term.

It seems as if the only aspect that has counted in recent years in the transport and logistics sector is price. “Competition is strong,” confirms partner Henk Morren at Schuiteman. “And the last euro is extremely important, but anyone who can distinguish themselves on the basis of service and quality can largely remove themselves from the price war.”

“Today that quality is measured by such things as transparency, information, density, punctuality and specialism,” says Morren. “Customers find it increasingly important to know exactly how the physical flow of goods is structured and which link is being activated when. They also crave an ever denser distribution network.”

Specialising
Such developments, together with growing price pressure, have created a split in the market between ever-growing companies, capable of specialist services (such as cooled transport) and small do-it-all companies, which have little chance of escaping the price competition. “In both categories it is vital to safeguard the quality element and to choose the right mix between low cost price and high quality; for example in the decision whether to use foreign drivers. Whereas the one customer finds it important to be able to communicate well with drivers about load and delivery, in another case it may be less relevant.”

Robotisation
An inevitable trend, yet one that is difficult to predict, is the rise of robotisation. Certainly in logistics, the rise is unprecedented. Experts envisage that robots in the Eurozone may cost up to 1.5 million jobs. Major savings are to be made with the use of drones and robots, partly because the production costs of robots are decreasing.

Sustainability and efficiency are other important trends in the transport and logistics sector. “Manufacturers are investing in energy-efficient trucks. These are increasingly appealing from an environmental perspective, as well as in terms of cost. In addition drivers are more often trained to achieve maximum return with minimum consumption,” says Morren.

In the transport and logistics sector Schuiteman has a strong presence in and around the Veluwe region, where many transport companies are based. “That enables us in terms of benchmarking to provide our clients with a lot of useful input,” says Morren. “The cost price comprises so many elements; from fuel and staff to the maintenance per kilometre and insurances. As accountants we can shed light on the price structure. What is your driving style? What performance is being achieved in terms of tyre maintenance? Is there room for improvement?”

The automotive sector has clearly left the crisis years behind it, but the market remains volatile and highly competitive. Upscaling is an ongoing trend, as are smart and sustainable mobility solutions.

Facts
The car is still a very popular means of transport in the Netherlands; every year we drive our way through some twelve billion litres of fuel. Private individuals are now more often prepared to purchase a new car. Vans, too, are highly popular, although this market is highly competitive. The market for lease and second-hand cars remains reasonably stable, but the aftersales market is depressed. To keep their heads above water in this market, many companies will have to change their business model.

Car use too has changed. The frequency with which an individual vehicle is used is increasing and more often now car drivers undertake journeys involving different modes of transport. Car drivers are also paying increasing attention to price and consumption costs.

Sustainability
Car manufacturers are under pressure to develop their cars to be as energy-efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. Whereas in recent years (semi-)electric cars made huge gains in popularity in the Netherlands, today the market for electric vehicles seems to be collapsing. The operating radius of electric vehicles is an issue that still needs to be addressed and bearing this in mind the purchase price is still considerable. The changes in legislation relating to additional tax liability add to the reluctance to embrace sustainable driving. Fully electric vehicles are expected to break through in the long term, a prospect that seems less likely for hybrid vehicles.

Sounding boards
Schuiteman Accountants & Adviseurs is strongly represented in the automobile sector in the Mid-Netherlands. This enables Schuiteman to carry out good benchmarking in this sector and provide clients with valuable information about their performance. “We like to participate in the thinking process with these companies and are also able to connect up various information flows,” says accountant Jorrit Koops of Schuiteman. “Our clients know that and are used to discussing a varied range of issues with us. One of them could give me a telephone call at any time, keen to discuss a quote for an automatisation solution. Our interconnectedness with the sector means that we are also able and keen to participate in the thinking process at that level.”

As its clients include various large dealerships, Schuiteman has relevant comparative material against which parties can measure themselves.

Sources: Rabobank Cijfers & Trends, ING

Tourism is an important sector of our economy. Over the past ten years this sector has expanded more rapidly than the Dutch economy as a whole, and it provides employment for more than 600,000 people.

Nonetheless, companies keen to establish themselves in the tourism and recreation business face many challenges: the impact of the internet continues unabated, which is changing consumer patterns and causing the proliferation of consumer-to-consumer platforms such as Airbnb. In addition, the market for holiday homes has become saturated in recent years and heightened (price) competition has arisen.

Lucrative
That is hardly surprising; the Dutch like their recreation. No less that 99 per cent of the population likes to undertake at least one leisure activity outdoors every year; in total that means some 3.75 billion trips representing a value of 50 billion euros. “This makes the recreation sector interesting and potentially lucrative,” says accountant Robert Berger of Schuiteman.

The way in which we spend our recreation time is changing. A holiday within Dutch borders ranks more often among the serious options and there is a hunger for unique and authentic destinations and locations. “Exclusivity is coveted,” says Berger. “So if you want to stand out among the wide range of options available online, the key is to present an exclusive concept. This could take many forms: by offering a magnificent location in pristine nature, or by taking a particular approach, such as offering Christian camping sites or specialising in luxury and comfort, which might suggest glamping facilities.”

Ever later reservations
“Whereas in the past holidays were booked months in advance, these days customers are booking later and later,” continues Berger. “More often last-minute and almost exclusively online.” It goes without saying that in this scenario it is vital that you are easy to find online. “And, if you can build customer loyalty outside the familiar reservation channels, you can maintain your margins, because you can keep the reservation fees low.”

Schuiteman Accountants & Adviseurs provides its services in the recreation sector mainly to larger recreation parks and recreation providers, with a concentration in the Veluwe region. This enables Schuiteman to provide proper and accurate benchmarking and to advise on price, costs and (long-term) investments, tax matters and the transfer of business ownership. Schuiteman greatly values the continuous development of knowledge and expertise and this is one reason why Schuiteman is a member of RECRON, the Association for Recreation Business Owners in the Netherlands (Dutch: Vereniging van Recreatieondernemers Nederland).

The business services sector in the Netherlands is back on its feet. Growth stagnated in 2013, but today a tentative upward trend is evident. This is due in part to the ever better and more effective application of ICT, which is creating lower costs, greater flexibility and better service provision.

Business services is a big sector in the Netherlands; the sector represents more than one-fifth of the economy. Expectations are that this share will only increase. Not that every sector can benefit from this, however. “The diversity within the sector is great, and so the turnover prospects vary greatly from subsector to subsector,” says accountant Jorrit Koops of Schuiteman. The temporary staff sector is performing well because it can profit from an increased level of activity in various subsectors, as well as a long-term shift to flexible employment.

Agile and flexible
“The flexibilisation of the employment market, the rise of robotisation and automatisation and the sector’s internationalisation are having a great impact across the board,” says Koops. “The developments are so great that it is difficult to look far ahead. To nonetheless respond properly to the volatility, you would be well advised to make your business agile and flexible,” says Koops.

Product to service
Another important development in the sector is the shift from products to services. “Increasingly, even physical products are being offered as a service. This is interesting for providers and purchasers. For providers it generally involves increased profit; for purchasers it offers flexibility and more effective product use.”
According to Koops, in transitions like these, it is extremely important not to lose sight of the client. “On each occasion you have to ask yourself the question: how should I offer my services? How can I ensure I include the right steps in my services concept and that my client understands my concept. You have to keep on asking these questions.”

In the business services sector Schuiteman Accountants & Adviseurs serves primarily civil law notaries, law firms, IT companies and consultancies.

Sources: Rabobank, ING