September 2007

Syngenta Realigns New Flowers Business Structure By GPN Staff

In a move to better address the specific needs of its customers, Syngenta announced yesterday that Fischer USA and S&G Flowers will now function as two separate organizations. The new structure aims to capitalize on the unique strengths of both businesses.

Yesterday, Syngenta announced a realignment of its new flowers business structure creating two separate organizations – Fischer USA and S&G Flowers. By creating these separate organizations, Syngenta aims to better utilize each company’s strengths to meet the needs of growers.

In March, Syngenta said it would acquire Fischer USA. The acquisition was finalized in late June.

Fischer USA, based in Boulder, Colo., now will manage the genetics portfolio and be responsible for product development, brand management, supply chain reliability, and marketing and sales for all vegetative and seed varieties produced by Fischer and Syngenta breeding. Fischer USA also will maintain the exclusive license with Goldsmith Seeds to market and sell vegetative annuals and geraniums bred by Goldsmith Seeds.

The new structure “brings about several advantages,” Gary Falkenstein, Fischer USA president, said in a company press release. “First and most significant is the combination of the breadth of Syngenta’s breeding into our current lines of Fischer and Goldsmith vegetative varieties Ð freely available to the open market through the broker of choice.”

Falkenstein is currently in Zurich meeting with Syngenta’s Global Flower Leadership team and was unavailable for additional comment.

S&G Flowers, based in Lisle, Ill., will be a full-service broker/distributor firm tailored to meet the needs of its professional grower customers.

Separating the wholesale and broker/distributor companies enables both businesses to focus on their specialties and support the broker channel of distribution, according to the Syngenta press release.

Effective April 1, 2008, Fischer, GoldFisch and S&G bred seed and vegetative products will be available from Fischer USA through the broker distribution channel and S&G Flowers will offer a wide variety of products from various suppliers.

According to Fischer USA, many of the details and individual responsibilities for employees within both organizations are still being worked out and will be announced in the coming months.