Royal Van Zanten Flowerbulbs in Hillegom Will Close it’s Doors

Van Zanten Flowerbulbs in Hillegom will definitively close its doors at the end of May 2026. This marks the end of one of the Netherlands’ oldest bulb growing companies after more than a century and a half. The company – better known as Royal Van Zanten – was founded by the Veldhuyzen van Zanten family, a family that, starting in the late nineteenth century, established the cultivation and trade of flower bulbs worldwide.

Van Zanten Flowerbulbs is one of the leading international players in the bulb industry. Over the past 164 years, it has developed into an innovative breeder and grower of lily bulbs, with its third line of business being the export of lily and tulip bulbs, supplemented with other summer goods. The company received the Royal designation as early as 1901, and in 1911, its current headquarters on 1st Loosterweg in Hillegom were ^built . The striking façade with its historic nameplate can still be seen.

No longer in the family since 2018.
In 2018, investment company Nimbus acquired the shares in Royal Van Zanten from the Veldhuyzen van Zanten family. Nimbus acquires companies with potential for improvement, with the ultimate goal of selling them. Initially, the investor further split the company into Van Zanten Breeding (Rijsenhout) and Van Zanten Flowerbulbs (Hillegom), by, among other things, transferring the real estate to the two separate companies. This made both companies separately marketable.

” Three years ago, we asked how we could continue Van Zanten Flowerbulbs. The initial idea was to sell the company as a whole. This proved too complex, so Nimbus decided to sell the company in parts, ” says Klaas Jan Vijn, general manager of the flower bulb division. Earlier this year, the lily breeding division was acquired by Hobaho in Lisse, and on October 1st, the lily trading and nursery in New Zealand were sold to Onings Holland Flowerbulbs in Poeldijk. ” We are still in discussions about the tulip trading division; we hope to be able to announce the sale of this last business unit shortly. “

Landmark in Hillegom The property and land on
^1st Loosterweg are also for sale. It totals 11.5 hectares, of which 15,000 m² are greenhouses and over 20,000 m² are built. The entire property is for sale through Mens Makelaars in Lisse. The impressive facade with its old nameplate is a landmark for every Hillegom resident and regular train passenger on the Haarlem-Leiden route. Klaas Jan Vijn: ” I expect the sale of the property in Hillegom to be completed before May 2026. “

Employees:
In the summer of 2025, the more than forty employees were informed of the planned closure. The breeding staff have transferred to Hobaho, and several commercial employees will join Onings.

A special project group within Van Zanten Flowerbulbs has set itself the goal of finding new jobs for the remaining employees. They’ve engaged an outplacement agency and are in contact with fellow export companies with various vacancies. Vijn: ” It’s wonderful to see how people connect within the sector. We’re regularly approached by companies looking for qualified people, and we actively ask our contacts if they have any vacancies. We’ve passed on dozens of vacancies to colleagues and facilitated several interviews.” Van Zanten is confident that all colleagues will soon conclude their tenure at the company with a new job. “Our team consists of specialists and driven colleagues. Each and every one of them is passionate about the sector, and we fully support them. “

The End
The lily season will soon begin at Van Zanten. This will be the last time lily bulbs are received, inspected, processed, and packed in the warehouse in Hillegom. Starting in January, Van Zanten will be gradually saying goodbye to colleagues. The last colleagues will leave on May 31st, and then the company will finally close its doors. This marks the end of 164 years of Van Zanten Flowerbulbs.