Where should I start?
Once you have decided to open a florists and how you are going to finance the venture. You will need to sit down and carefully consider the following issues.
You need to decide what sort of florists you are going to be, what you’re going to sell, and who you’re going to sell to. Are you going to sell purely to the general public, form part of a relay scheme, take on contract work with local businesses and functions or a combination of some or all of these avenues?
If you want to establish trade sales links then count the number of suitable businesses in your area, decide what you want to offer them, whether some sort of discount system should be established, then approach them to see whether they’re interested.
If a competitor has already got there first, then give them a good reason to swap over to you. This could include a wider choice, lower prices and your expertise.
What will your product range consist of? Will you be selling fresh or dried flowers or perhaps you could diversify into greeting cards, confectionery, balloons and banners? Will you cater for weddings, birthdays, and funerals or specialise in one particular field?
Caldecourt offers some advice. “Any kind of specialisation is beneficial. Florists should also emphasise the additional design input and technical skill that goes into their work. This often has a personal touch – just as artists and clothes designers are recognisable by their work.”
Tied into this is location and the size of premises you intend to lease or purchase outright. Do you want passing trade in a more urban environment or would you prefer people to come and find you in a more rural location? Locating next to a hospital, railway station or just off the high street can bear fruit.
Also, ask yourself how large you want your shop to be. Make sure you have enough space for a retail area to interface with the public, a cool storage room, a preparation area to construct arrangements and a wide frontage in order to present your flowers outside and create attractive window displays.
Colin Archer, a business agent at the Colin Archer Business Partnership, says that the right image is vital. “People associate flowers with life, therefore your business needs to be clean, well-maintained, bright and cheerful and inviting to your customers.”
You will need to carry out some thorough market research of the area, the type of people that live and work there and the existing competition. Firstly estimate the number of people that are interested in purchasing flowers and establish a level of demand for certain products.
If you start out in floristry with high levels of wastage then you’ll quickly find yourself out of business. If, however, there are enough potential customers and not many competitors then you’ve found yourself a niche.
The floristry industry has changed in recent years and there are a lot more outlets dealing in plants and flowers, so check out the competition by counting the number of outlets selling flowers, what they’re selling and who they’re selling to.
Then scan your area for other specialist florists, nurseries and garden centres, DIY stores, petrol stations, greengrocers, convenience stores, supermarkets and mail order and home delivery services. Using a record sheet for every competitor is always a useful exercise. Draw up a list in tabular form and include the following categories, ticking off and writing comments as you go along:
· Name of outlet
· Specialist florist
· Other outlet, newsagent, supermarket, etc
· Product range, opening hours, shop appearance, services offered and whether it belongs to a relay scheme
You will then need to establish a relationship with a wholesaler who can supply you with freshly cut flowers and plants with the majority imported from Holland. However, there are dozens around the UK. For more information contact the Flowers & Plants Association.
When first starting a retail business you will also need to advertise in as many avenues as possible. Do this by firstly putting together an attractive shop front and regularly updating your displays, then produce some leaflets including product shots and your contact and website details (if you have one, if you haven’t then get one).
You should also advertise in your local paper or directories such as the Yellow Pages or Yell.com, establish links and promotional exchanges with other businesses in your catchment area as well as producing a series of business cards and placing them in related businesses such as bridal shops, for example.
If you belong to a relay scheme, make sure that the sign of the organisation you belong to is prominently displayed.