We would like to inform you about the situation regarding the fine-distribution to Germany, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom as a result of the Covid-19 situation and the overheated transportation market, among others.

Germany

The first months of 2021 were characterised by an enormous drop in volumes, resulting in surplus capacities. The German government has recently decided to lift the lockdown which is a positive development. This ensures that there is currently an enormous peak in volumes to Germany. This peak, combined with the holiday period and structural lack of extra logistics personnel, is causing delays in deliveries. We are taking the necessary measures by providing support from other Verhoek departments to stabilise the situation as quickly as possible.

France & Belgium

We use a partner for the fine-distribution to France and Belgium. Our partner is currently also faced with such high volumes in combination with a lack of logistics personnel. As a result of this situation, there are delays in deliveries to Belgium and France. The necessary actions are being taken to deal with the problems.

United Kingdom

In December 2020 our former partner for the fine distribution of rolls and cuts went bankrupt. In the meantime we have tried to pick up the fine-distribution as good as possible from Belgium and the Netherlands with the necessary challenges. This has resulted in longer delivery times. We have opened two new branches in the UK, in Harlow and Doncaster, which we are preparing for the fine-distribution of rolls. At the moment, we are still waiting for a number of new trucks that have been delayed due to chip problems. The trucks will be added to our capacity in the next months. We will shortly inform you how the service in the united kingdom will be offered on a structural basis.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologise for the inconvenience.

We would like to inform you about the current situation at Verhoek Netherlands. We have previously informed you about the capacity problems with drivers and forklift drivers. We have recently implemented various actions to hire new colleagues. For example, we approached various employment agencies, posted vacancies on various media, scaled up recruitment capacity, our own driving school is fully booked, introduced bonuses for new staff and added extra capacity from other Verhoek departments. Despite all the measures taken, there is still a capacity problem. The logistics market is overheated with a structural shortage of logistics personnel. The capacity problems are further exacerbated by the current Covid-19 situation and also by an unprecedented high volume in the Netherlands.

At the moment, due to the current force majeure situation, it is not possible to return to the standard delivery structure. We assessed what we can do in the current situation to improve the reliability of deliveries. From coming Monday, the 10^th of May 2021, a number of adjustments will be made to the service of the fine-distribution of rolls in the Netherlands. In concrete terms, this means the following: 

• New roll / coupon delivery schedule applies (see appendix). This provides insight into the delivery days per postcode area.
• Time shipments are only possible in time blocks of “in the morning between 08:00 and 12:00” and “in the afternoon between 12:00 and 17:00”.
• We ask you to keep shipments outside of the delivery schedule to a minimum. If there are urgent shipments, we would like to ask you to discuss the options in advance with our Customer Service.
• The collection of goods remains in accordance with existing agreements.
• The above measures only applies to roll shipments <2,000 kg per shipment (not applicable to pallets).

·        Due to public holidays, no deliveries and collections will take place on Thursday the 13^th of May 2021 and Monday the 24^th of May 2021. 

The measures remain in force until further notice. We are aware that these changes will have an impact on your organization in the short term. We also understand that this has also for customers if for instance the goods receipt is aligned with the delivery structure and that there are less delivery days than normal. We need your support and hope for your understanding and cooperation in this situation.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

We would like to inform you about the current situation at Verhoek Netherlands. At the moment we are still dealing with capacity problems due to Covid-19, among others. There is a huge shortage of truck drivers due to delays in administering driving exams but also an increased absenteeism due to illness. At the moment we have trucks standing still and we have been forced to scale up in vans in order to still be able to deliver the goods. We are working hard on the solution to return to the service that you are used to from us as soon as possible. As a result of this force majeure situation, the current service for fine-distribution in the Netherlands will also be continued in week 17 and 18 2021.

This means the following for week 17 and 18 2021: 

• Delivery schedule Netherlands will be temporarily cancelled.
• 48-hour service from our office in Genemuiden. This means receipt of goods in Genemuiden on day A, mostly delivery on day B and delivery on day C at the latest.
• Concerns only fine-distribution with small trucks.
• Applicable to all goods except pallets. We can maintain the current services for pallets.
   

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. The Dutch government held a press conference this week at which the lockdown was extended until the 28th of April 2021. A positive development at this time is an increase in volumes. At the moment we are still dealing with a much higher absenteeism of employees because of, among other things, Covid-19. We are working hard to increase staff capacity. As a result of this force majeure situation, the current service for fine-distribution in the Netherlands will also be continued in week 16 2021. No later than April 22, 2021, we will update you again about the services from week 17, 2021.

This means the following for week 16 2021: 

• Delivery schedule Netherlands will be temporarily cancelled.
• 48-hour service from our office in Genemuiden. This means receipt of goods in Genemuiden on day A, mostly delivery on day B and delivery on day C at the latest.
• Concerns only fine-distribution with small trucks.
• Applicable to all goods except pallets. We can maintain the current services for pallets.
  
  

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. The Dutch government held a press conference this week at which the lockdown was extended until the 20st of April 2021. It is expected that the current conditions with lower volumes and higher absenteeism of employees will remain the same in the coming weeks. As a result of this force majeure situation, the current service for fine distribution in the Netherlands will also be continued in week 13, 14 and 15 2021.

This means the following: 

• Delivery schedule Netherlands will be temporarily cancelled.
• 48-hour service from our office in Genemuiden. This means receipt of goods in Genemuiden on day A, mostly delivery on day B and delivery on day C at the latest.
• Concerns only fine-distribution with small trucks.
• Applicable to all goods except pallets. We can maintain the current services for pallets.
   

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. The Dutch government held a press conference this week at which some measures were slightly relaxed, but the lockdown was also extended until the end of March 2021. The easing is expected to have a limited impact and volumes. In our municipality of Genemuiden, we are also dealing with a very strong increase in the number of corona cases, which means that there is a lot of absenteeism due to illness and corona tests. As a result of this force majeure situation, the current service for fine distribution in the Netherlands will also be continued in week 11 and 12 2021.

This means the following: 

• Delivery schedule Netherlands will be temporarily cancelled.
• 48-hour service from our office in Genemuiden. This means receipt of goods in Genemuiden on day A, mostly delivery on day B and delivery on day C at the latest.
• Concerns only fine-distribution with small trucks.
• Applicable to all goods except pallets. We can maintain the current services for pallets.
  
  

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this situation.

We would like to inform you again about our services in Germany in the coming weeks. We have closely followed the developments of the German government and also the development in volumes. We see opportunities to improve the service in the coming period. We are therefore pleased to inform you that we will return to the normal service level that you are used to in week 10 and 11 2021. The delivery schedule for fine-distribution will be used.

If there are any questions, our Customer Service is ready to answer your questions. We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. We will keep you informed about new developments.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. The Dutch government held a press conference last night at which some measures were slightly relaxed. The easing is expected to have a limited impact and volumes will remain low. As a result of this force majeure situation, the current service for fine distribution in the Netherlands will also be continued in week 9 and 10 2021.

This means the following: 

• Delivery schedule Netherlands will be temporarily cancelled.
• 48-hour service from our office in Genemuiden. This means receipt of goods in Genemuiden on day A, mostly delivery on day B and delivery on day C at the latest.
• Concerns only fine-distribution with small trucks.
• Applicable to all goods except pallets. We can maintain the current services for pallets.
  
  

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this situation.

We would like to inform you again about our services in Germany in the coming weeks. In our previous mailing we have already informed you about the closure of a number of our German hubs which are responsible for the fine-distribution. At the moment we see possibilities to scale up the service from week 8 2021 onwards. Contrary to previous mailings, there will be one closing day in week 8 2021 and we will be operational every day in week 9 2021.

Germany week 8 & 9 2021:

Until further notice the delivery schedule for fine-distribution in Germany will not be used and shipments will be scheduled as much as possible in consultation with the recipient. In Germany there will be no collection of your goods on the days of non-delivery. The collection will be postponed to the next delivery day. Larger shipments can, after consultation with our Customer Service, possibly be delivered.

If there are any questions, our Customer Service is ready to answer your questions. We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you again about our services in the Netherlands and Germany in the coming weeks. In our previous mailing we have already informed you about the closure of a number of our German hubs due to the wetter conditions. In addition, you have been informed that we will be closing our hubs for a number of days due to declining volumes.

In order to provide you with the best possible service, we will continue to provide services in weeks 6-8 2021 as follows

Germany week 6 2021:

Germany week 7 & 8 2021:

Until further notice the delivery schedule for fine-distribution in Germany will not be used and shipments will be scheduled as much as possible in consultation with the recipient. In Germany there will be no collection of your goods on the days of non-delivery. The collection will be postponed to the next delivery day. Larger shipments can, after consultation with our Customer Service, possibly be delivered.

Netherlands week 7 – 8 2021:

·        Delivery schedule Netherlands will be temporarily cancelled.

·        48-hour service from our offices in Genemuiden. This means receipt of goods in Genemuiden on day A, mostly delivery on day B and delivery on day C at the latest.

·        Concerns only fine-distribution with small trucks.

·        Applicable till and including week 8 2021.

·        Applicable to all goods except pallets. We can maintain the current services for pallets.

If there are any questions, our Customer Service is ready to answer your questions. We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. Please note that our offices and warehouses are also closed on closing days. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this force majeure situation.

We would like to inform you that due to the current weather conditions our services will be adjusted in week 6 in the Netherlands and Germany. In our previous mailing we have already informed you about the closure of a number of our German hubs. In addition, you have been informed that we will be closing our hubs for a number of days due to declining volumes.

In order to provide you with the best possible service, we will continue to provide services as follows in week 6 2021:

Germany

Netherlands

If there are any questions, our Customer Service is ready to answer your questions. We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. Please note that our offices and warehouses are also closed on closing days. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this force majeure situation.

We would like to inform you that, due to the extreme weather conditions in the Netherlands and Germany, there may be delays in deliveries to various countries.

In Germany, four of our six locations have been closed today due to these weather conditions. Hubs Castrop-Rauxel, Rietz, Eisenberg and Sottrum will not deliver any goods today. Hubs Speyer and Greding will deliver goods today.

Our Customer Service department will do their best to keep you updated regarding the delays.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Recently, we have seen fluctuating and declining volumes in our fine-distribution network in the Netherlands. The fine-distribution concerns only small consignments which are delivered with small trucks. As a result of this force majeure situation, a different delivery structure will be used temporarily from next week.

This means the following:

• Delivery schedule Netherlands will be temporarily cancelled.
• 48-hour service from our offices in Genemuiden. This means receipt of goods in Genemuiden on day A, mostly delivery on day B and delivery on day C at the latest.
• Concerns only fine-distribution with small trucks.
• Monday, the 8^th of February 2021 is not a delivery day.
• Applicable to week 6 2021.
• Applicable to all goods except pallets. We can maintain the current services for pallets.
   

In the Netherlands there will be no pick-up of your goods on the days that there is no delivery. Pallets will be picked up on Monday the 8^th of February 2021.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you regarding the consequences of the coronavirus in Germany.

Due to the current lockdown, which lasts until the 15^th of February 2021, more and more recipients are not accepting goods resulting in sharply falling volumes. In order to be able to maintain the service of the fine-distribution in Germany in this force majeure situation, we are forced to reduce the number of delivery days in the coming period. The fine-distribution concerns only small consignments which are delivered with small trucks by our six branches in Germany. Until further notice the delivery schedule for fine-distribution will not be used and shipments will be scheduled as much as possible in consultation with the recipient. Below you will find the delivery schedule for week 5 and week 6 2021.
 

In Germany there will be no collection of your goods on the days of non-delivery. The collection will be postponed to the next delivery day. Larger shipments can, after consultation with our Customer Service, possibly be delivered. It is important that we only receive shipments of which it is certain that the recipient will accept the goods. In this way, we can avoid congestion in our warehouses.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. For questions you can contact the Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this situation.

We would like to inform you about the transport to Germany, Austria and Switzerland due to the corona developments.

Germany

The German government has decided to extend the Lockdown until the 15th of February 2021. In Germany some of the recipients have closed their doors and others continue to accept shipments. We can still continue our service but, because of this force majeure situation this will be done in an adjusted way. Until further notice the delivery schedule for fine-distribution will not be used and shipments will be scheduled as much as possible in consultation with the recipient.

Austria & Switzerland

Austria has extended the Lockdown until the 7th of February 2021. Switzerland has also extended the Lockdown until the end of February 2021. Recently we have noticed that it is becoming more difficult to deliver goods. Due to this force majeure situation, we can no longer guarantee delivery times and please take delays into account.

It is important that we only receive shipments of which it is certain that the recipient will accept the goods. In this way, we can avoid congestion in our warehouses.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you again regarding transport from the EU to the United Kingdom and distribution in Germany due to the corona developments.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, additional measures have been implemented in the fight against the coronavirus. In concrete terms, this means that some of the recipients have closed their doors. Some of the recipients are still accepting shipments. We continue to provide our services in the United Kingdom. We would like to ask you to only send goods to us of which it is certain that the recipient will accept the goods. This way we can avoid congestion in our warehouses. Because of this force majeure situation, in combination with the Brexit, we cannot guarantee delivery times until further notice.

Germany

This week the German government has decided to extend the Lockdown until the end of January 2021. Also in Germany some of the recipients have closed their doors and others continue to accept shipments. We can still continue our service but, because of this force majeure situation, this service will be adjusted. Until the end of January 2021 the delivery schedule for fine-distribution will not be used and shipments will be scheduled as much as possible in consultation with the recipient. We would like to ask you to only send goods to us of which it is certain that the recipient will accept the goods. This way we can prevent congestion in our warehouses.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you about the developments concerning the distribution in Germany during week 53 and week 1 of next year. The German government decided that the whole of Germany will go into a strict lockdown from Wednesday 16 December 2020 until at least 10 January 2021. All non-essential shops will have to close their doors.

As a result of these developments, the 23^rd of December is the final day of our fine-distribution in Germany this year. As of Thursday the 24^th of December we will shut down all German depots until the 4^th of January 2021. During this time our customer service will also not be available. Fine-distribution will take place again from the 4^th of January 2021 on however we will not take the delivery schedule into account in this week. In week 1 of 2021 you will be informed again about the continuation of the fine-distribution in Germany.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you again about transport from the EU to the United Kingdom (UK) in connection with corona developments. Due to the recently tightened measures taken by several governments on a new variant of the corona virus, transport to the UK is almost impossible. Air traffic has ceased, ferry services have been suspended and the Channel Tunnel will be closed for at least 48 hours from 11 p.m. Sunday evening 20-12-2020 on. Transport and Logistics Netherlands advises against all transports to the UK.

We have therefore decided, until further notice, not to send truck drivers with consignments to the UK. Where we can still obtain bookings, we will try to ship unaccompanied freight (trailer or container without truck). These loads can be delivered with our English drivers. However, the English government strongly advises against sending trucks to the ports because of the chaos that prevails there, so there is also a reservation that shipments can be delivered.

In concrete terms this means that there is now minimum capacity available and that already planned trips can unfortunately not be carried out until further notice. We are dealing here with an exceptional force majeure situation.

If you have any questions about a specific shipment, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

Due to the corona developments in the Netherlands, we would like to inform you about deliveries in the Netherlands in the coming period. The Dutch government has decided on 14 December 2020 that the Netherlands will go into a strict lockdown from 15 December 2020 until 19 January 2021. All non-essential shops will have to close their doors.

Today we have received information from several customers that many recipients will continue to accept goods in the coming period. This means that we can continue to provide our services under the agreed conditions until further notice. In concrete terms, this also means that the delivery schedule around Christmas and at the end of the year (see appendix) still applies.

However, we would like to ask you to only send shipments that can actually be delivered. If there are shipments in our possession that cannot be delivered, we would like to hear from you.

We hope to have informed you sufficiently for now. If the situation changes, we will inform you again. If you have any questions, please contact the customer service department.

Due to the corona developments in the Netherlands, we would like to inform you about the deliveries in the Netherlands on Tuesday 15 December 2020. The Dutch government has decided tonight that the Netherlands will go into a strict lockdown from 15 December 2020 until 19 January 2021. All non-essential shops will have to close their doors. However, as far as we can see now, this means that goods can still be delivered.

Our trucks with deliveries in the Netherlands are currently being loaded and we will try to deliver as many goods as possible tomorrow (15-12-2020). So tomorrow we will deliver in accordance with the delivery schedule or appointment. If recipients are closed then we would like to ask you to inform our Customer Service department in time so that we can still adjust the trip of the driver. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Goods will be picked up tomorrow and we would like to ask you to only send us goods that can actually be delivered.

We hope to have informed you sufficiently for now. Tomorrow we will assess of the situation and inform you again. If you have any questions, please contact our customer service department.

In connection with the corona developments in Germany, we would like to inform you about deliveries in the coming period. The German government decided yesterday that the whole of Germany will go into a strict lockdown from Wednesday 16 December 2020 until at least 10 January 2021. All non-essential shops will have to close their doors. 

Today we assessed what this lockdown means for our services in Germany. Many recipients have to close the doors but some of the recipients remain open to accept goods until the warehouses are full. Also several recipients will be closed so that the delivery of goods will no longer be possible. Because of this force majeure situation we have to adjust our services and this means the following in concrete terms:

• We will continue to deliver shipments until 23 December 2020. During this period, the delivery schedule for fine-distribution is no longer applicable and consignments are scheduled as much as possible in consultation with the recipient.
• From 24 December 2020 up to and including 1 January 2021, the Verhoek branches in Germany will be closed and no goods will be collected in Germany and no shipments will be delivered in Germany.
• At the end of week 52 2020 you will receive a new update about the service in week 1 2021.
• Due to the situation that has arisen, we can no longer guarantee delivery times.
  
  

We would like to ask you only send goods to us that can actually be delivered this year. In this way we can prevent congestion in our warehouses.

We hope to have informed you sufficiently, if you have any questions, please contact our customer service department.

As part of the corona developments in Germany, we would like to inform you about the current deliveries.

The number of Corona infections in Germany is currently rising to a record high. From next Monday, the German state of Saxony (Sachsen) will be in Lockdown, which means that we can no longer carry out a large part of our deliveries. We have just received information that the German state of Baden-Württemberg will go into Lockdown from Christmas until at least January 10^th 2021. People are now talking about a national Lockdown from Christmas. The federal and state governments are preparing for stricter measures, a meeting is scheduled for this next Sunday. It is clear that Berlin is planning significant restrictions for retailers to contain the corona pandemic.

For Verhoek, this means that we will no longer be able to deliver everything on time this year and that our warehouses will be full. We would like to ask you to keep as many goods as possible in your own warehouse and only ship goods that are certain to be delivered.

We hope to have informed you sufficiently, if you have any questions, please contact our customer service department.

We would like to inform you about the developments concerning the corona crisis in Belgium and England.

Transport Belgium 
A new lockdown came into force on 2 November 2020. New measures to combat the spread of the virus have entered into force and will remain in force for at least the next six weeks.

It will still be possible for some recipients in Belgium to deliver goods. We will continue to offer our services in Belgium and would like to ask you to send goods only to recipients who accept goods. If there are shipments that cannot be delivered, our Customer Service department will contact you. Because of this situation, your goods may be on the road longer than you are used to. Please take an extended lead-time of maximum 2 days into account.

Transport England
The English government announced a new lockdown last weekend starting Thursday 5 November 2020. This lockdown is different from the lockdown of April this year. More recipients will remain open so at this moment we can announce that the transport to England will continue. We are currently trying to clarify the impact on the service and will keep you informed.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department. We hope this has given you more clarity and will keep you informed about new developments.

We hope for your understanding in this situation.

We would like to inform you about the developments concerning the corona crisis in the Netherlands and United Kingdom

The Netherlands

We recently informed you about delays in the Netherlands as a result of Covid-19. We have taken various measures and we have the situation under control again. At the moment, we are not experiencing any more delays.

United Kingdom

Over the last few days, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of sickness notifications at our Ostend branch (Belgium), which is responsible for distribution to the United Kingdom. The increase in sickness notifications has to do with Covid-19 developments. As a result of mainly this force majeure situation, we are behind in sending shipments. At this moment the backlog is about 2 days which means that you have to take into account 2 extra days in lead-times. We try to respect fixed delivery dates as far as possible, but cannot guarantee this at the moment.

In the meantime we have taken the necessary measures to support several colleagues from other Verhoek branches in Ostend. All our colleagues are fully committed to catch up as soon as possible, but this will most likely continue until the middle of next week.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you about the developments concerning the corona crisis in the Netherlands.

The government is calling on people to stay at home if there are corona symptoms. As a result, we have had to deal with many reports of illness in recent days from forklift truck drivers and lorry drivers, among others. There has also been a sharp increase in the number of colleagues who are waiting for the results of a corona test and are therefore unable to be deployed for several days. As a result of this force majeure situation, we are currently facing delayed deliveries in the Netherlands. We expect the delayed deliveries to continue at least this week.

Verhoek's crisis team is currently assessing the possibilities of bringing the situation under control. All colleagues are doing everything in their power to provide the best possible service.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the developments in the United Kingdom as a result of the coronavirus.

From Monday 15-06-2020 many small shops in England have reopened. However, in the past two weeks we have noticed that a number of recipients have limited opening hours and are not yet able or willing to receive all goods. Because of the Covid-19 situation the warehouses are still pretty full with rolls that could not be delivered yet. At the moment we see a peak in the number of shipments. Because of this peak in combination with the full warehouses and limitations in possible deliveries, the delivery of mainly small shipments is stagnating. At the moment you have to take longer lead times into account.

All colleagues make every effort to process the shipments as quickly as possible and provide the best possible service. We are scaling up capacity and expect to be back to the agreed service level by midweek 28 2020 at the latest. If there are urgent shipments, we can always look for solutions in consultation with Customer Service to organize a fast and guaranteed delivery.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. All our news items regarding the coronavirus can also be found on our website. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you about some developments related to the corona crisis.

General
At the beginning of the corona crisis, volumes reduces drastically to as much as 50% in certain periods. Due to the extremely uncertain situation, we had to take the necessary measures, including reducing capacity in employees and trucks, in order to get through this crisis. At the moment we are seeing enormous fluctuations in volumes in the Netherlands and Germany that neither we nor you could have predicted. We are at almost our maximum warehouse capacity and, because of the safety of our employees, we cannot run additional forklift trucks. Given the current uncertain situation, we do not know what the developments in volumes will be in the coming period. Nevertheless, we are taking the necessary measures to scale up transport capacity again, but this will take some time. All our employees are doing everything they can to provide the best possible service.

Distribution Netherlands
On 21 April 2020, we informed you about an adapted service in the Netherlands up to and including week 22 2020. Internally, we are making preparations to return to the normal delivery structure. As of week 25 2020 we will deliver in accordance with the existing agreements. In week 23 and 24 2020 the following services will still apply.

• 48-hour service from the Genemuiden branch (goods received in Genemuiden on day A, mostly delivery on day B and at the latest delivery on day C).
• Concerns only fine-distribution.
• Applicable to all types of goods with the exception of pallets.

The above service does not apply to the delivery of pallets and with effect from Tuesday 2 June 2020 the 24-hour service from our warehouse in Holland will be applicable (goods received on Friday 29 May 2020 means delivery on Tuesday 2 June 2020).

Distribution Germany
On 6 May 2020 we informed you about the situation in Germany. Lately, the German government has been relaxing the measures and this has had a positive impact on volumes. You were informed earlier about a new delivery structure for fine-distribution in Germany, with fixed delivery days per postcode area. This will give you clarity about when deliveries will be made. We want this new delivery structure to take effect on 29 June 2020. In week 23 2020 we will give you further details about this new delivery structure. In the meantime, until the end of June 2020, we are structurally working on a further improvement of the service.

Distribution Belgium
On 21 April we informed you about the situation in Belgium. Lately there have been positive developments in Belgium and from 2 June 2020 we can return to the normal situation. This means that the previously agreed delivery terms will be used again.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We hope to have given you more clarity and will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you about the developments in the United Kingdom as a result of the coronavirus. British Prime Minister Johnson announced some easing last weekend, although England will officially remain in lockdown until the 1^st of June 2020.

The last few days we are getting more and more signals that wholesalers and shops are going to open their doors again in the near future. This means that we can restart our services and pick up small shipments from you as of midweek 21 2020. These shipments can be delivered in England and Scotland from week 22 2020. Because many recipients are still closed, it is important that we only pick up shipments that can actually be delivered. In this start-up phase you have to take into account longer lead-times due to minimum volumes. Ireland is currently following its own course and unfortunately until further notice no deliveries of small shipments are possible.

Throughout the United Kingdom, including Ireland, there are currently possibilities to deliver larger shipments (LTL) and full truck loads (FTL). Our Customer Service department will be happy to discuss the possibilities with you.

Given the current situation in the United Kingdom, the health of everyone is of paramount importance. We make every effort to have our drivers perform their work as well and safely as possible in these days.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. All our news items regarding the coronavirus can also be found on our website. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department.

We will keep you informed about new developments.

We would like to inform you about the developments in Germany as a result of the coronavirus. Recently we have seen a number of positive developments, such as the reopening of stores. We would like to give you clarity about our services until the end of May 2020. We will be fully operational in Germany for the next three weeks, with the exception of public holidays. Below you will find the delivery schedule for week 20 up to and including week 22 2020.

We welcome this positive development but would like to point out that there are still challenges and limitations. We cannot yet guarantee delivery times in Germany. We try to carry out shipments and deliveries within a time window as well as possible, but cannot guarantee this. All colleagues do everything in their power to provide the best possible service.

At the end of May 2020 we will inform you again about the developments in Germany. We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. All our news items regarding the coronavirus can also be found on our website. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department.

We would like to inform you about the developments in Italy as a result of the coronavirus. The Italian government has decided to partially relax the measures with effect from 4 May 2020. This positive news means that we will once again be able to partially deliver shipments to Italy.

We welcome this positive development but would like to point out that there are still challenges and limitations. We cannot yet guarantee delivery times in Italy. Our Customer Service department will be happy to discuss the possibilities with you. 

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. All our news items regarding the coronavirus can also be found on our website. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department.

We would like to inform you about the developments in Germany as a result of the coronavirus. The German government decided to partially relax the measures last week. This positive news means that, under certain conditions, some of the stores may reopen their doors. We assume that this will have a positive impact on volumes in Germany and this gives us opportunities to improve services in the fine-distribution. We will be fully operational in Germany for the next two weeks, with the exception of public holidays. Below you will find the delivery schedule for week 18 and week 19 2020.

We welcome this positive development but would like to point out that there are still challenges and limitations. We cannot yet guarantee delivery times in Germany. We try to carry out shipments and deliveries within a time window as well as possible, but cannot guarantee this. All colleagues do everything in their power to provide the best possible service in these challenging times.

In week 19 we will inform you again about the developments in Germany. We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organisation. All our news items regarding the coronavirus can also be found on our website. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about some developments related to the corona crisis.

Distribution Netherlands
On the 15^th of April 2020 we informed you about an adjusted delivery structure in the Netherlands for week 17 and week 18 2020. This adjustment is the result of the current corona crisis, which is characterised by fluctuating and decreasing volumes in our fine-distribution network. The expectation is that the volumes will not substantially change in the coming period. With this mailing we would like to give you clarity about the delivery structure for small consignments in the Netherlands up to and including the end of May 2020. If the situation changes in the meantime, we will anticipate on this. This means the following:

• Delivery schedule Netherlands will be temporarily cancelled.
• 48-hour service from our offices in Genemuiden and Hasselt. This means receipt of goods in Genemuiden or Hasselt on day A, mostly delivery on day B and delivery on day C at the latest.
• Concerns only fine-distribution with small trucks.
• Applicable to all types of goods.
• Applicable to the period from week 17 up to and including week 22 2020.

In the Netherlands there will be no pick-up of your goods on the days that there is no delivery.

General delivery terms
As indicated earlier, due to the current situation regarding corona, maintaining our services in the various countries is a huge challenge. As a result, with the exception of the Netherlands, we cannot yet guarantee delivery times. We try to carry out time-deliveries and deliveries within a time window as well as possible, but cannot guarantee this. All colleagues do everything in their power to maintain the service.

Distribution Belgium and France
In this difficult time there is also positive news. Developments in Belgium and France provide opportunities to slowly start up fine-distribution from now on. Due to the low volumes, you should take into account a lead-time of approximately ten working days to Belgium and France in the start-up phase. If the volumes increase, the lead-times can be accelerated. Fix deliveries are not (yet) possible. Larger shipments can, after consultation with our Customer Service, be delivered faster.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We hope to have given you more clarity and will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. Recently, we have seen fluctuating and declining volumes in our fine-distribution network in the Netherlands. The fine-distribution concerns only small consignments which are delivered with small trucks. As a result, a different delivery structure is temporarily used. In the coming period, a 48-hour service is applicable. This means that your goods will be delivered no later than 48 hours after arrival at our branch in Genemuiden or Hasselt (NL). Below you can find the delivery days for week 17 and week 18.

In the Netherlands there will be no pick-up of your goods on the days that there is no delivery.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department. We will keep you informed about new developments.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in Germany. In order to be able to maintain the service of the fine-distribution in Germany, we are forced to reduce the number of delivery days in the coming period. The fine-distribution concerns only small consignments which are delivered with small trucks by our six branches in Germany. Below you will find the delivery schedule for the coming time up to and including week 17.

In Germany there will be no collection of your goods on the days of non-delivery. The collection will be postponed to the next delivery day. Larger shipments can, after consultation with our Customer Service, possibly be delivered.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. All our news items regarding the corona virus can also be found on our website. For questions you can contact the Customer Service department.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. Recently, we have seen fluctuating and declining volumes in our fine-distribution network in the Netherlands. As a result, there will be no deliveries in the Netherlands on Friday the 10^th of April 2020 (good Friday). The fine-distribution concerns only small consignments and larger consignments can be delivered on Friday the 10^th of April 2020, only after consultation with our Customer Service. On Friday the 10^th of April 2020 there will be no pick-up of goods in the Netherlands. Below you will find a schedule with delivery days of week 15 and 16.

Because of the upcoming Easter weekend, Tuesday the 14^th of April 2020 will be the first delivery day of week 16. Small shipments loaded up to and including Thursday the 9^th of April 2020 will be delivered on Tuesday the 14^th of April 2020. This also applies to the postcode areas that are not delivered according to the delivery schedule.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in Germany. In order to be able to maintain the service of the fine-distribution in Germany, we are forced to reduce the number of delivery days in the coming period. The fine-distribution concerns only small consignments which are delivered with small trucks by our six branches in Germany. The coming period we will inform you every Thursday about the delivery days in the following week. Below you will find the delivery schedule for week 15 2020.

In Germany there will be no collection of your goods on the days of non-delivery. The collection will be postponed to the next delivery day. Larger shipments can, after consultation with our Customer Service, possibly be delivered.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. All our news items regarding the corona virus can also be found on our website. For questions you can contact the Customer Service department.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus in Germany. Given the current circumstances, it is expected that there will be a substantial decrease in volume in the month of April. In order to be able to maintain the service of the fine-distribution, we are forced to reduce the number of delivery days in the coming period. The fine-distribution concerns only small consignments which are delivered with trucks by our six branches in Germany. The number of delivery days depends on the volume and from now on we will inform you every Thursday about the delivery days in the following week.

On Friday the 3^rd of April 2020 there will be no deliveries in Germany. Pick-up of goods in Germany on Friday the 3^rd of April 2020 will be postponed to Monday the 6^th of April 2020. Larger shipments can, after consultation with our Customer Service, be delivered on Friday the 3^rd of April 2020.

We would like to ask you to share this mailing within your organization. All our news items regarding the corona virus can also be found on our website. For questions you can contact the Customer Service department.

We apologise for this measure taken, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus. In view of the enormous decrease in volume in Germany, we are forced to implement the following change for the fine-distribution in Germany. On Monday 30 March 2020 there will be no deliveries in Germany. Tuesday 31 March 2020 will be the first delivery day of week 14. The fine-distribution concerns only small consignments which will be delivered with small trucks by our six branches in Germany. Larger shipments can, after consultation with our Customer Service, be delivered on Monday 30 March 2020. The collection of goods in Germany on Monday 30 March 2020 will also be postponed to Tuesday 31 March 2020.

If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department.

We apologise for this measure taken, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the consequences of the coronavirus. Verhoek Europe makes every effort to protect the health of its employees as much as possible. In addition, we try to serve you as a customer as well as possible.

In the current circumstances, maintaining our services in the various countries is an enormous challenge. Many of our employees work from home, drivers report sick, volumes drop and many delivery addresses are closed. The situation is deteriorating daily and as a result we cannot guarantee delivery times. We try to carry out time deliveries and deliveries within a time window as well as possible but cannot guarantee this. Due to circumstances we cannot accept any claims due to delayed deliveries. Our employees do everything in their power to maintain the service.

Keeping a sufficient distance is very important to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. In order to protect the health of our drivers, proof of deliveries (POD) may no longer be signed off by the recipient with effect from March 25^th 2020. After verbal approval of the recipient, the driver will note the recipient's name on the POD. The note of the recipient's name will be regarded as the signing of the POD by the recipient. All shipments sent by us as of March 25^th 2020 are subject to these modified conditions. We will therefore reject any claims resulting from an invalid signature.

The English government set a lock-down last night. People should stay inside as much as possible and only shops that provide basic necessities of life should remain open. This has a huge impact on our services and as of today small consignments can no longer be delivered. In close consultation between the recipient, customer and our Customer Service department, larger shipments can still be sent to the UK. The possibilities will be assessed per shipment.

If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service department.

We apologise for the measures taken, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the following developments concerning the coronavirus. President Macron of France announced this week a "lock-down" for a period of two weeks. This will bring the entire country to a standstill.

This situation has an enormous impact and as of today shipments under 2,500 kilograms can no longer be delivered in France until further notice. For larger shipments, there are currently still possibilities for delivery. Please contact our Customer Service department to discuss the possibilities. Due to this situation delivery times cannot be guaranteed. Given the speed of current developments, we are forced to adjust the transport rates. The surcharges depend on the situation and will be handled per shipment.

If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Service department.

We apologize for the inconvenience and wish you strength in these times.

We would like to inform you about the following developments concerning the coronavirus. The Belgium government will take far-reaching measures as of noon this afternoon and the country will be in a "lock-down". Food stores, pharmacies and banks will remain open, but other non-essential stores will be closed. There will also be a ban on gathering, and citizens will be discouraged from going outside.

This situation makes it impossible for Verhoek Europe to carry out domestic distribution in Belgium and as of today we are forced to discontinue this service until further notice. The collection of goods from Belgium customers will still take place as long as possible. From our office in Ostend there are still departures to the United Kingdom.

For further questions you can contact the Customer Service department.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the new delivery structure for fine-mesh distribution of your (longitudinal) goods in Germany. Earlier communication indicated that the new delivery structure would start on 30 March 2020. In view of the current coronavirus situation, we are forced to postpone the start date until further notice. As soon as a new date is known, we will inform you of this at an early stage.

We apologize for any inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you about the following developments concerning the coronavirus.

In order to guarantee the safety of the drivers, it has been decided that we want to limit the physical contact with the recipient as much as possible.

As a result, we are forced to adapt our services and as of tomorrow (17 March 2020), cash on delivery will no longer be collected. This measure applies until further notice. In case of open cash on delivery shipments, we will contact you.

We apologize for any inconvenience, but we hope for your understanding in this difficult situation.

We would like to inform you further about the situation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19). Several countries in Europe are taking extra precautions in the fight against the coronavirus. Italy is now virtually closed to the outside world and the Czech Republic will no longer be accessible to foreign people from next Monday. Belgium has suspended teaching in schools and in Germany more and more schools and day-care centres are being closed at a rapid pace. It is only a matter of time when other countries will take further measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Given all the developments, which are taking place at an enormous pace, it is difficult for us to determine what the exact impact of the coronavirus will be on our services in all the different countries we supply. However, we would like to inform you that due to the situation that has arisen, we can no longer guarantee delivery times. All colleagues are doing everything in their power to maintain the service. More and more shipments cannot be delivered by us due to closed receiving addresses. We would like to ask you to inform us about this so that we can take this into account.

The crisis team of Verhoek Europe keeps a close eye on all reports concerning the coronavirus and anticipates this in a timely manner. Among other things, we have taken the following measures to protect our employees and prevent the spread of the coronavirus:

·          Strict application of government measures

·          Extra emphasis on the application of hygiene

·          Extra cleaning Verhoek branches

·          Working from home if possible

·          In case of suspicion of illness, the worker must stay at home

·          Partial closure of offices for non-Verhoek employees

·          Drivers are expected to keep as much distance as possible from loading and unloading addresses and apply hygiene rules.

·          Protocol for the collection of goods by external parties

·          Reduce visits to and from external parties as much as possible

·          Setting up operational scenarios due to lockdown of areas/countries

We hope for your understanding in the current situation and will keep you informed about further developments. We trust to have informed you sufficiently.

We would like to inform you of which actions we at Verhoek Europe are taking regarding the coronavirus.

Within Verhoek Europe we have assembled a crisis team that is constanty monitering the situation. They shall continue to follow and carefully scrutinise all major worldwide updates, therefore if it’s needed to inform anyone of any change of events, this shall be done with haste and without delay. Several scenarios have been considered and we are prepared to act swiftly on these if necessary. 

At this point, we have implemented strict coronavirus hygiene rules and regulations within Verhoek Europe to guarantee the safety of our employees as much as we possibly can. These hygiene rules and regulations have been implemented in each of our departments, and all our employees are fully aware of them. We have also created a Questions&Answer list with the most common questions about the coronavirus, and shared this with each of our employees.

We shall continue to follow all developments closely and if any changes do occure, we shall inform you without hesitation.