VALENTINE’S DAY 2016 – NOT ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

Patricia A. Lilly, WF&FSA

“A Sunday holiday…”

“Extremely cold temperatures in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast…”

“Flower production exceeded demand…”

WF&FSA members cited these as the main reasons this year’s Valentine’s Day holiday was not one for the record books.  In the annual survey of members following the holiday, 46% of responding members reported that this holiday was pretty much what they expected it would be, while 36% reported the holiday did not meet their expectations; yet 18% had a better holiday than expected.  Additional highlights include:

Cut Flower Sales Dollars- Cut flower sales dollars were generally down compared with 2015 while 8% reported sales were flat and 29% saw cut flower sales increase. 

Pre-Rose Book Quantities - The majority of respondents, 37%, reported that rose pre-book quantities were worse than expected, while 29% reported that pre-book quantities were comparable with 2015. 

Rose Prices - Survey results also showed that rose prices were generally down or flat compared with last year.

Inventory Levels - More than 16% reported they had a lot of product left, while 43% reported product was not nearly sold out and 38% reported they were nearly sold out.

Credit Requests – A majority, 53%, reported that credit requests were few to none, while 42% reported a normal number of credits.

Looking ahead to what one might do different next year, respondents reported:

• Pre-book less with growers and buy as we need.
• Try to pre-sell more, earlier.
• Watch the market closer.
• Improve labor efficiency.
• Keep less inventory on hand.

Members noted that orders were coming in last minute and that it will be a challenge to plan for next year going from a Sunday to a Tuesday holiday.  Speculating what will be hot from year to year is becoming increasingly difficult.

To view the full graphical representation of results, including which products sold more or less units, click here.