Jaap Waasdorp, a fishmonger from the Netherlands, has held the prices of his salmon products at the same level, in spite of all the price fluctuations of the last year.
Jaap Waasdorp has a small shop in the harbor of IJmuiden, close to the fish auction, and also sells his fish at two markets, in Haarlem and Amstelveen. It’s a family business: his wife and two daughters also work for the company. Waasdorp sells fresh and fried fish, and homemade ready to eat products.
Salmon is an important product for his business. “As a fishmonger, you have to sell salmon. That’s a product customers expect to see and be able to buy.”
Varying margin
“I keep my prices at the same level all year, so that means my margin varies. I sell a lot of salmon, fresh and smoked, and I also use it a lot in ready to eat products, like salmon lasagne and salads.”
He buys his salmon from Rodé Vis (Urk) or Adri & Zoon (Yerseke), whole or as sides with skin. “I use every part of the fish. The tailpieces go for soup or lasagne.”
Waasdorp sells between 60 to 100 kilos of salmon each week, at his three locations.
“My sales price is 25 euros per kilo. Sometimes I have to pay up to 19 euros a kilo myself. Then my margin is small. But I don’t want to raise my price over 25 euros per kilo, because I want to be clear about my prices to my customers. They know what to expect. So sometimes you lose, sometimes you win.”
