Family Fresh #321 offers a whole-store holiday
All people may be created equal, but that’s not the case for supermarkets. According to the Food Marketing Institute, there are more than 37,000 grocery stores and supermarkets in the United States. They spread across the country from large metropolitan areas to small rural communities and their floral departments come in all sizes too. But regardless of their size, supermarket floral centers all use the same calendar and focus their business on the same floral holidays.
Planning essential to increase sales and profits for Valentine’s Day
The calendar is turning and the clock is ticking — Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away. According to the Society of American Florists, it is the most important floral holiday of the year. It accounts for 36 percent of all holiday floral transactions and moe than 40 percent of total holiday dollars for the year.
A profitable Valentine’s Day influences a floral department’s annual success.
Outlook 2014: Consumer demands influence global container production
As predicted, and thanks to a 2013 mid-week Valentine’s Day, the floral industry reported one of its strongest sales figures in recent memory. According to the Society of American Florist, traffic in floral shops was up 36 percent for the holiday. Also holding true was consumer appetite for containers with a vintage feel, and for flower vessels that evoke an image of environmental responsibility.
A potential 2012 strike by U.S. dockworkers had threatened the supply of imported vases for the first quarter of 2013, but fortunately that was averted.
Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition announces schedule of events for annual trade show
The Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition begins a three-day run at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL, on Jan. 23. Events scheduled include a grower tour in the Homestead, FL, area on Jan. 22; a variety of speakers, short courses and demonstrations; a silent auction and a 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall with more than 500 companies showcasing the latest trends in tropical foliage and flowers.
Tuesday, Jan. 21
7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. TPIE Nursery Tour in Homestead, FL, area
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Registration open
AIFD planning early for 50th anniversary
A gala celebration of its 50th anniversary is being planned well in advance by the American Institute of Floral Designers, with offices in Baltimore. AIFD was founded by 12 floral designers in 1965, and as part of a two-year celebration the anniversary task force is gathering photos, anecdotes and documents from its history. The event will culminate at the annual AIFD convention held in Denver in July 2015.
Outlook 2014: Supermarket floral departments look to the future
In early 2013, Jon Strom, then vice president at Price Chopper Supermarkets in Schenectady, NY, predicted that we may be facing a “floral cliff.”
He said that the combination of the rising cost of labor, transportation and supplies in Colombia and the increased value of the peso had caused many small farms to go out of business, which reduced overall supply. Strom said to create a win-win situation for yourself by forming partnerships with suppliers in order to avoid the fiscal cliff.
Van Rems chosen as judge for 2014 Rose Parade
Rene van Rems of Carlsbad, CA, a noted award-winning floral designer, lecturer and author, was selected as one of three judges for floats in the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, CA. The 2014 parade on Jan. 1 marked the 125th anniversary of the Tournament of Roses parade.
Tournament officials announced the selection in late November. The other two judges for the floats in the parade were Cheryl Ceccheto, the head of Sequoia Productions in Los Angeles, and James Folsom, a director at the Huntington Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, CA.
Outlook 2014: Shabby chic to continue in hues of orchid and gray
Trends — in order to know where you are going, look where you are now and where you have been.
Reviewing creative floral forecasts from various industry segments of several years past and today, we can project where the creative future may be. Geography is very important. One size does not fit all.
Outlook 2014: Where will flower transportation go?
Several years ago at a major trade show, I attended a panel discussion about the future of transportation in floral. The panel raised serious concerns about many issues including rising fuel costs, driver shortages, increasing insurance costs and fuel surcharges. All of these issues were, and continue to be, major problems for transporting flowers. However, I didn’t hear any discussion about how we could improve transportation to better satisfy consumers.
Floral editor Niblock honored by N.C. child advocacy organization
RALEIGH, NC — John S. Niblock, who is retiring as floral editor and floral sales manager of The Produce News, was among those honored at a celebration of the 30th anniversary of a statewide child advocacy group he founded here in 1983.
About 250 attended the Nov. 6 reception at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, according to Deborah Bryan, current president and chief executive officer of the group.