For more than a century, Van Ditmar has been importing English-language books into the Netherlands. In its centenary year (2024), the company entered into a new partnership with CB as its logistics partner. Managing Director René Prins shares why this step was taken and reflects on developments in the English-language book segment.
“As a child, I loved reading,” René recalls. “I’ve always admired how books are made and I find it wonderful to hold a book in my hands.” That passion, combined with his studies in English Language and Literature, eventually brought him to the book trade and to Van Ditmar.
Over the years, the company evolved from being a pure distributor into a sales and marketing organisation. “Of course, we can’t read all the books ourselves,” René explains, “but we maintain a very strong dialogue with publishers. We focus on content and know exactly how titles fit the Dutch market. That makes us different.”
To support booksellers, Van Ditmar provides marketing materials such as floor stickers, posters and bunting. The company also organises events to promote English-language reading, such as the Amsterdam Book Event and the Week of the English Book.
“Due to internal changes, we needed an alternative to our own warehouse,” says René. Choosing CB as logistics partner was the obvious solution. “If you think of book distribution in the Netherlands, you think of CB.”
The transition, however, was not without challenges. “We had to move not just physically, but also digitally. And all this during the autumn, the busiest period in our industry.” The complexity was increased because Van Ditmar’s books come from abroad. “One pallet may contain a hundred different titles that CB has to sort. In that way, we differ significantly from Dutch publishers.”
Close communication was key to overcoming these hurdles. “CB is strong in communication and project management,” René emphasises. “We invested a lot of time in understanding each other’s processes.” The Van Ditmar team also visited CB several times to see the operations in practice. “It was very valuable to meet the enthusiastic people who work with our books every day.”
Van Ditmar now stocks thousands of titles at CB, immediately available for booksellers. The collaboration benefits both Van Ditmar and its customers. “Thanks to CB we now reach more customers, both inside and outside the book trade,” says René. “This fits perfectly with our strategy to continuously broaden our customer base.”
Van Ditmar supplies not only bookstores and webshops but also museums and concept stores. Conversely, booksellers gain easier access to a wider range of English-language titles through CB. “For them, everything arrives in the same order, delivery and invoice. It’s more sustainable and more convenient. A win-win.”
René: “Flanders is very much part of all our new initiatives. We have a sales manager based in Belgium who visits customers and assesses their needs. He also prepares tailored commercial offers that we set up in CB’s systems. We know CB can deliver quickly, which Flemish booksellers see as a major advantage. In addition, they are invited to participate in the Week of the English Book. Our newsletters also highlight other promotional activities.”
The timing of this partnership fits well with market trends. “At the start of this century, English-language books had a market share of around 8 percent; now it is approaching 25 percent,” René points out. “The growth is driven by many factors: education, online gaming, the popularity of streaming services and social media such as TikTok.”
According to René, the appeal of English-language books goes well beyond Young Adult fiction. “Classics like Jane Austen, as well as genres such as manga and healing fiction, are also in demand.”
Seeing today’s young people so eager to read reminds René of his own enthusiasm as a child. Many visit bookstores specifically for titles they discovered on BookTok. “I’m amazed by what they’re willing to pay for special editions, such as those with sprayed edges.” These positive developments, René hopes, will create “lifelong readers.”
René is optimistic about the future and about the partnership with CB. With the continued growth of the English-language book market, Van Ditmar sees opportunities to serve booksellers even better with its international offering.
The company also wants to invest in improved data and data sharing. “Beyond the ISBN and price, there’s so much more information you can provide—such as sample pages for illustrated books. That’s something we want to develop further,” René says. “The better the data, the better we can help sell our titles together with CB and booksellers.”
In addition, Van Ditmar is preparing for new European regulations. “From next year, for example, we will need to indicate where the paper pulp used in books originates. Here too, we are working closely with CB to optimise processes.”
