TOPS

What TOPS does

TOPS is a privately held Dutch staffing and recruitment agency founded in 2004, headquartered in Bodegraven with a second branch in Steenbergen. The company operates exclusively in outdoor work sectors, organized around four verticals: Groen (horticulture, landscaping, tree care), Agri (farms, nurseries, seed production), Bouw (construction trades), and Infra (civil engineering, GWW). It serves Dutch employers ranging from municipal services and large agronomy enterprises (Rijk Zwaan, Limagrain, Agrifirm, Bunnik Groep, Idverde, Vebego) to mid-market contractors, and job seekers seeking outdoor careers.

The company monetizes through four service lines: temporary staffing (Uitzenden), permanent recruitment (Werving & Selectie), secondment/detachment (Detacheren), and social-return placements (SROI), with margin earned on hourly bill rates and placement fees. An internal vocational training division, TOPS Vakschool, funds VHG-certified green-sector qualifications and guarantees job placement, functioning as a proprietary talent pipeline. Operations are supported by the third-party HelloFlex portal (tops.helloflex.com) for worker self-service (timesheets, contracts, payslips, leave). Matching itself is recruiter-led rather than technology-led.

The business is NBBU-affiliated and certified under VCA, VCU, SNA/NEN 4400-1, Kiwa, and HACCP, providing the compliance and liability credentials required by Dutch enterprise and public-sector buyers. The firm has roughly 21 named staff across two offices, 365+ active vacancies listed, and worker/staff satisfaction scores of 8.6/8.3. No external funding, revenue disclosure, or M&A activity is recorded; the company is independently operated and has been for over two decades.

Name

TOPS

Legal name

TOPS

Website

https://www.tops.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TOPS is a Dutch staffing and recruitment agency, founded 2004, specializing exclusively in outdoor work across horticulture, agriculture, construction, and infrastructure sectors, serving employers and job seekers in the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Work Staffing & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

High-Volume / High-Turnover Temp Staffing (BPACACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seasonal & Peak Workforce Staffing (BPACACAE), Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling (EDAAAOAE)

Keywords

• Outdoor work staffing
• Horticulture recruitment
• Agricultural labor agency
• Construction temporary staffing
• Infrastructure workforce solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bodegraven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Temporary Staffing (Uitzenden): TOPS places workers with client employers on a temporary basis. Workers are employed by TOPS and contracted out to employers. TOPS handles payroll, compliance, and administration while earning margin on hourly rates. This is the core revenue stream.
2. Recruitment & Selection (Werving & Selectie): Direct placement of candidates into permanent positions with client employers. TOPS screens, matches, and presents candidates for direct hire roles. Fees are typically structured as a percentage of annual salary or a fixed placement fee.
3. Staffing/Detacheren: TOPS remains the employer while contracting experienced workers to client organizations. Provides flexibility for employers without long-term commitment while ensuring workers receive proper employment terms and continuity.
4. Social Return (SROI): Placement services focused on workers with a distance to the labor market, fulfilling corporate social responsibility requirements for employers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TOPS is a Dutch staffing and recruitment agency that connects skilled outdoor workers (vakmensen) with employers in the green/horticulture, agriculture, construction, and infrastructure sectors. Core services include temporary staffing (Uitzenden), direct-hire recruitment and selection (Werving & Selectie), detachment/temp-to-perm (Detacheren), social return placements (SROI), and the proprietary TOPS Vakschool vocational training program that funds and places workers in green-sector careers.

Product overview

TOPS is a Dutch staffing and recruitment agency specialized exclusively in outdoor work sectors. The company operates a multi-service model offering temporary staffing (Uitzenden), direct recruitment (Werving & Selectie), detachment/temp-to-perm (Detacheren), and social return programs. TOPS also runs TOPS Vakschool, a proprietary vocational training division that funds and places workers in green sector careers. For professionals, TOPS Professionals matches mid-level candidates in specialized outdoor work roles. The portfolio is unified around the buitenwerk (outdoor work) theme spanning four sectors: groen (green/horticulture), agri (agriculture), bouw (construction), and infra (infrastructure).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TOPS Vakschool: Vocational training school offering green sector education programs including hovenier (gardener) qualifications, fully funded by TOPS with job placement guarantee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vacancy response within 1 business day
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NBBU (Nederlandse Bond van Bemiddelingsondernemingen)coreOthersTOPS is affiliated with the NBBU, the Dutch association for staffing and recruitment agencies. This membership provides quality assurance, financial reliability guarantees, and adherence to industry standards and codes of conduct.
• StiPP (Stichting Pensioenfonds voor Personeelsdienst)minorOthersTOPS provides pension provisions through StiPP, the pension fund for temporary workers. Workers are immediately enrolled in the Plus scheme, offering enhanced pension benefits.
• HelloFlexcoreTechnology or IntegrationTOPS uses HelloFlex as its workforce management platform, enabling digital hour logging, contract management, payslip access, and time-off requests for workers. This platform provides transparency and operational efficiency.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Olympia Uitzendbureau: Established Dutch staffing and recruitment agency with regional branches across the Netherlands. Offers uitzenden, werving & selectie, and detacheren across multiple sectors including outdoor work — directly comparable service portfolio and target customer base to TOPS.
• WerkTalent: Dutch regional staffing firm operating multiple branches and providing temporary staffing, direct placement, and sector-specialized recruitment. Comparable in size and multi-vertical approach, particularly in green and construction staffing.
• Headfirst Selection: Dutch staffing and selection firm focused on permanent placements and skilled trades recruitment. Comparable in size and Dutch regional approach, with overlap in construction and technical trades — direct competition for TOPS's Werving & Selectie stream.
• Lokaal Werkt: Dutch regional staffing platform connecting local job seekers with nearby employers, often in green, construction, and logistics. Closely comparable in regional/local model and target worker demographics to TOPS.
• Agriwerker: Dutch staffing agency specializing exclusively in the agricultural and green sectors. The most direct vertical-overlap competitor to TOPS, focused on seasonal and permanent placements for farms, nurseries, and horticulture — shares TOPS's niche specialism.
• ASA Talent: Dutch staffing and recruitment agency with regional branches across the Netherlands. Provides multi-sector temporary staffing including outdoor trades — comparable in regional office footprint and service offerings to TOPS.

Broad incumbents

• Tempo-Team (Adecco Group Netherlands): One of the largest Dutch staffing brands, part of the Adecco Group. Offers temporary staffing, direct hire, and HR solutions across all sectors including outdoor work — a major incumbent competing for the same employer clients as TOPS but at significantly greater scale.
• Randstad Nederland: The largest staffing firm in the Netherlands and global market leader. Provides uitzenden, werving & selectie, and HR solutions across all verticals including the green, agri, and construction sectors TOPS serves. Competes for the same enterprise customers but with broader sector coverage.
• ManpowerGroup Netherlands: Major Dutch staffing brand under ManpowerGroup, offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and workforce solutions across many verticals including construction, agri, and infrastructure — directly overlapping with TOPS's employer segments.

Others

• Vinci Facilitair / Groenvoorziening vacatures: Dutch facilities and green maintenance services group that hires outdoor workers — an employer-side participant in the same labor pool TOPS recruits from, making it both a potential client and ecosystem participant rather than a direct head-to-head competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tops-buiten-gebeurt-het

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TOPS