WF&FSA netWORK, 4-27-10 Issue
WF&FSA's Free Electronic Newsletter
April 27, 2010Nearly Two-thirds of Americans to Buy Flowers for Mother's Day
Nearly two-thirds (65.2%) of consumers will buy flowers, totaling $1.9 billion for Mother's Day according to the National Retail Federation's 2010 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch. Spending is expected to be up slightly over 2009. Read Report
WF&FSA OPEN TALKS
Understanding Florists Financially - What it Means to You
This program will explore basic information about how a florist works financially. How do they mark up product? How do they differ from other retailers? What is the cost of their goods, labor, etc.? You will also be given a spreadsheet that will allow you to quickly and easily create a customer profile specific to each of your florist customers showing you their buying potential.
Once you know how a retail florist operates from a financial point of view and what the key controllable targets are you'll be in a better position to interact with your customers on financial issues. You'll know the targets they are trying to hit to maintain profitability.
Our presenter is Paul Goodman, Goodman's BottomLine Group. The program will be held Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. (EST). 4536261&Action=DisplayRegForm_Step1&EventID=43&RegNo=1&StartNewReg=1 To Register Online or CLICK HERE To Download PDF Registration Form
Florist of the Year Best Marketing Practices
You're customers can keep their shop's name in people's mind by creating a care coaster. To help customers think of the shop for future purchases, a cardboard coaster, like those used for beverages in restaurants, can be supplied with every vase arrangement. The florist prints their logo on one side, and care instructions, as well as the web address, on the other. This will allow for prolonged promotion even after the flowers are no longer fresh. Help your retail customers become better marketers by sharing proven marketing best practices from the Retail Florist of the Year contest, co-sponsored by WF&FSA. The information is in a "Word" document so that you can use it in whatever way suits you. Access Best Practice
WEBINAR
How to be Successful with Email MarketingThis enlightening webinar will show you how to make your e-newsletter a 'must read' and a valuable nurturing tool for you business. You will learn proven tips to:
• Define an effective email marketing strategy
• Build your list and gain permission
• Create content your customers will love
• Measure the success of your email marketing efforts
The program is designed for wholesale distribution. The presenter is Bob DeStefano, SVM E-Business Solutions. The webinar will be held Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 1:00pm EST More Information
WF&FSA Looks at Convenience StoresWF&FSA educated members about the realities of the Convenience Store market in an audio conference (CD Available ). The audio conference was conducted by Convenience Store guru Larry Miller, Miller Management & Consulting Services, Sanford, FL.
• There are 145,000 Convenience Stores in the US
• Owners are risk averse, but entrepreneurial.
• They utilize specialized wholesalers who consolidate products for delivery from many suppliers. Few have central distribution.
Currently, flower sales to Convenience Stores/Pharmacies (There is no data on Convenience Stores alone) makes up only 1% of sales for floral wholesale distributors. Convenience stores have had big success with many products like sunglasses, propane and most recently movie rental kiosks. They are always looking for the next big thing. For an industry profile on Convenience Stores, contact aorange@wffsa.org or call 888-289-3372.
WF&FSA Members Call Every Florist Every Day
WF&FSA wholesale distributors talk to every florist in the U.S. and Canada everyday. Here is a breakdown of the number of active customers that wholesale distributors have:
Number of Active Customers % of Wholesalers
Over 500 20%
251-500 22%
101-250 36%
100 or less 22%
Kitayama Brothers, Inc. Makes Changes
Kitayama Brothers of Watsonville, CA, announced that Robert Kitayama will become General Manager effective May 1, 2010. Winston Moore, the current General Manager, announced he would be leaving on May 7th. Tony Scalisi is now the Kitayama Brothers Sales Manager.
The Greenleaf Wholesale Florist branches in San Jose and Hayward will become Kitayama Brothers San Jose, and Kitayama Brothers Hayward.
GrowFloral, the drop shipping division of Greenleaf Wholesale Florist will move from Hayward, CA and merge with Kitayama Brothers in Watsonville. GrowFloral will now operate under the Kitayama Brothers name. Read More
Greenleaf Wholesale Florists Inc. also moved their Memphis, TN distribution operation to Tupelo, Miss. They will continue to service all our customers in the Memphis area out of the Tupelo location.
FTD.COM Launches Smithsonian Flowers by FTD
FTD.COM, Inc. has launched Smithsonian Flowers by FTD(R), a line of potted orchid plants and wrapped floral Tussie Mussie bouquets, inspired by the Smithsonian Horticulture Division collections. All are shipped directly to consumers in a box. Read More
Bill to Abolish Florist Test in Louisiana to be Debated on House Floor
A bill to abolishing the requirement for florists to pass a licensing exam in Louisiana was approved by the House Commerce Committee and was sent to the full House for debate. The tests have been the subject of lawsuits in recent year.
Louisiana has more than 2,200 licensed florists. More than 100 people take the florist exam annually and about 75% of them pass. The test, which costs $150 to take, is comprised of a one-hour written exam and a four-hour practical exam in which the taker must design four floral arrangements. Louisiana is the only state to require the test for licensing.
Organic Sales Grew in 2009
A survey from the Organic Trade Association found that sales of organic food grew 5.1% in 2009, while total U.S. food sales grew just 1.6%. Organic fruit and vegetables posted the largest gains, growing 11.4% to nearly $9.5 billion in sales. Supermarket News Read More
Stop & Shop to Reorganize
Royal Ahold has announced a new corporate structure for its Stop & Shop Supermarket chain, a move expected to cost jobs at the Quincy, Mass., headquarters. "We still are working on the structure of the new organization," said a company official. "We do anticipate that these changes will result in many support office jobs being changed, eliminated, moved or added." For More Information
Demand for Ship Containers from Asia High
Heavier demand for space on container ships has pushed spot rates up by sixfold in a year's time, and some companies are seeing their goods languish on docks due to the shortage in container supply. There are problems for companies transporting goods by ship from overseas, particularly from Asia. A year ago, demand in the ocean container freight industry dropped by 15%. Read More
Jim Gaunt Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
The Michigan Floral Association presented the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award to Jim Gaunt at its recent annual conference. Gaunt has been in the floral industry for 60 years. He started out as a partner in the family owned wholesale floral company, Southview, Inc., Romulus, MI. Read More
Bo Bonini Passed Away
Albert "Bo" A. Bonini, 71, passed away Saturday, April 17, 2010. Bo co-owned Hartford Florists Supply, Bloomfield, CT along with his brother Richard for many years. Read Obituary