Boland-hub is the Halloween heart of the Netherlands
All of those horrifying costumes and accessories that we use to scare each other on Halloween? It’s highly likely that they all come from the new distribution centre of the party goods specialist Boland. Now that the Halloween madness has erupted again, we went to check it out.
Within fifty years, Boland has grown from a small distributor of party goods into one of Europe’s largest importers in the industry. This growth recently led to an important milestone: after years of operating from three different locations, the company opened an extra-large and ultra-modern central warehouse in Bleiswijk. Party goods are distributed all over Europe and even far beyond out of this new hub. For the past two months, the orders have been mostly for one day: 31 October.
All hands on deck
“Halloween, as is customary every year, is a peak period for us. Every year, we see an increase in the crowds in the lead-up to Halloween. In 2020, it was a bit quieter — because of the lockdown, of course — but this year, people are looking forward to it even more!”
“For us, September is the Halloween month. Around 70% of Halloween orders are delivered during this month because naturally, the shops want all their products stocked in time. It’s all hands on deck here, and everyone does their best to not let delivery times increase. This year, there were almost double the number of deliveries in September as in August. Carriers sometimes came twice a day, which is exceptional.”
Take a breather
“The closer we get to Halloween, the smaller the deliveries become because a lot of the shops are mostly placing repeat orders. The additional activity lasts up until Halloween day: only on 1 November can we take the time to breathe again for a while. That is, until the next peak period: carnival!”
The trucks that leave Boland have destinations all over Europe. And yet, during this Halloween period, they drive mainly in a northerly direction.
“We notice that Halloween is especially popular in the north of Europe. Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Benelux party hard, but in southern countries like Spain and Italy the festivity is much less popular.”
Which horror products are most likely to leave the door?
“Our large skeletons are clearly a favourite. Spiderwebs with spiders, witches hats, and fake blood traditionally do very well. And of course, various children’s costumes are also very popular again. Among the most notable climbers are freaky contact lenses: they can really complete a creepy outfit.”