Industry News BY MARY WESTBROOK SPRING HOLIDAYS PROVIDE SILVER LINING DURING CRISIS


> Easter, Passover and Administrative Professionals Week provided some relief to retail florists struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic this spring — in some cases providing an unexpected (and very welcome) sales bump. In Society of American Florists post-holiday member surveys, floral industry mem- bers weighed in on the holidays, includ- ing the challenges they faced in sourcing product and balancing staffing and safety needs. (Read more about SAF’s findings for Mother’s Day on p. 24.)


Easter/Passover Returns: About 55 percent of respondents to the survey said Easter and Passover sales dropped this year, but in write-in responses, retailers also detailed positive results. “Easter was one of the strongest we have seen in many years in both retail and wholesale,” wrote one respondent from the West. “I think people sent flowers because they could not do many other things.” Overall, three-quarters of the


respondents to the survey said they were open for some kind of business on Easter/Passover this year — on average operating with about one-third of their normal workforce. Among all respondents who saw a


decrease in Easter/Passover sales this year, the majority (58 percent) saw a steep decline of 21 percent or more; however, about a quarter of those who saw an uptick classified their sales gains as 21 percent or more. “Initially, I thought Passover, which


is a big holiday for me, was going to be a disaster,” wrote one retailer in the Southeast. “I canceled all the extra


flowers I had ordered above and be- yond my regular weekly order. But as we got closer to the holiday, I got signs that there would be some business, so I slowly added flowers to my order. We sold most of the flowers I ordered.” SAF’s annual spring holiday surveys


have for years charted stagnant or de- clining Easter and Passover sales. Last year, about 45 percent of retailer respon- dents said sales for the holiday were flat. Other respondents shared stories


in write-in response that helped paint a fuller picture of the challenges the indus- try faced this spring, including reduced staff, difficulty sourcing product, con- cerns over safety and sanitation, finan- cial worries compounded by anxiety surrounding federal loan programs and restrictions placed upon industry busi- nesses by state and local governments. Respondents shared stories of being


“Initially, I thought Passover, which is a big holiday for me, was going to be a disaster,” wrote one retailer in the Southeast. “I canceled all the extra flowers I had ordered above and beyond my regular weekly order. But as we got closer to the holiday, I got signs that there would be some business, so I slowly added flowers to my order. We sold most of the flowers I ordered.”


36 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | June 2020 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG


“lean and mean” and working nonstop to keep their businesses afloat in condi- tions that are far from business as usual. “We have never run so efficiently,”


wrote a florist in the Northeast, noting that the business is operating with “no employees,” reduced wire-in orders and fewer hours. “All of our efforts were toward building resources to keep oper- ations funded to pay for rent, suppliers, utilities and health care. I have never worked harder, and for no pay, in the 35 years of my life that I have dedicated to this business.” A florist in the mid-Atlantic region


explained, “We have shortened our hours and are only open four days. Basically, the owner has been running the shop. We were happy to have one designer needed for the Thursday and Friday for Easter and a driver on Friday. We had to close on Saturday as there was no more product available.” Overall, about 20 percent of respondents said they had trouble sourcing product this year. A florist and garden center in the


Northeast commented that “our delivery sales were up, however, we did lose quite a bit on church orders as churches canceled their services.” Other highlights from this year’s


Easter/Passover holiday survey: Reasons for sales increases. About


55 percent of those who saw sales increase credited increased demand


SHUTTERSTOCK/ FLORAL DECO


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