Greeting to all,
As America simmers in its own toxic racial mess the floral world continues to rise. I am going to stay on the positive side while acknowledging that many of you reading this might feel otherwise.
Based on some conversations with a number of industry players here is what I have learned:
The supermarkets are booming with sales! Not sure why exactly but they can’t seem to get enough flowers. A large bouquet maker told me that; “Business is like Covid never happened.”
When we look at the Importer/ wholesale/ Retail side, most tell me that they are about 70% of normal sales for this time of year.
Market prices remain strong and that is a good sign as we enter summer. This is due mostly to a limited supply of flowers available on the market. Importers and wholesalers are reluctant to speculate much and that reduces the inventory on hand which keeps prices firm, at least for now.
Some wholesalers are doing better than others because they did not totally close when their competition did. Sales were very dependent on the rules regarding opening from state to state. Some wholesalers and retailers are still not open.
Back in March when this all started, growers were not sure what to do. Some laid off employees and cut back their crops and then Mother’s Day demand appeared and they could not catch up fast enough. This has a lot to do with the current production cycles.
Still lots of talk about wholesalers that are in trouble.
Logistics are still a challenge because of so few passenger flights. What was once almost guaranteed service is now very unpredictable.
This is the time of year that events would be driving sales and we all know that events have been cancelled, reduced, rescheduled, etc. With that said there is demand for flowers,plants and ferns.
On a personal note, I went out to a bar Saturday to play some music and it is a strange scene indeed. Servers are wearing mask but of course the patrons are in a game of peekaboo with their mask, up one moment then down the next.
Social distancing is just not very applicable in a bar environment. As a casual observer, sitting in the corner, clearly after a few drinks 2 feet and 6 feet look about the same.
Please feel free to share your stories with me and want to know if I am on the right path.
Stay safe and good luck.
Williee Armellini
Editor: Flowersandcents.com
williee@flowersandcents.com
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