Blooming florists still under threat
Florists - 22/08/2006 10:50:10
Britain's florists are under threat despite the cut-flower sector blossoming, according to recent reports.
A recent white paper released by the House of Commons stated that 2,000 small and independent businesses, including florists, are forced to shut every year because of growing competition.
This is spurred on by the dominance of supermarkets in an ever-increasing area of goods and services and their ability to bulk buy goods and sell them at a discount price.
However, with the florist sector currently worth £2.1 billion a year and some firms expecting to see their turnover increase in future months, many florists believe that customers aren't always impressed by cheap and goods and prefer a more professional touch.
Simon Dimmock, chief executive of flower delivery service Flowergram, told the Observer: "With multiple retailers such as Tesco selling flowers with a 'pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap' philosophy, it makes it more difficult for the traditional florist's shop to survive.
"But Flowergram customers understand that you get what you pay for."
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