VIEWPOINT
e of Buying n Germany
cut flowers are rarely part of their offering. Maybe in spring they have tulips and some sunflowers in summer. Aldi offers bouquets holiday-related and on-line, but quality is on the low side (especially in the stores). Some do have a street-side shop offering cut flowers close to the entrance, but this depends very much on the location. None of the stores I visit has one though. So my regular grocery runs don’t in- clude cut flowers anymore, as they did in the past. Now I have to go shopping for cut flowers to a florist or garden center, which means an extra run. More challenging is parking as they are quite often incon- veniently located, and their opening times (open late and close early) make it difficult for a full-time employee to buy cut flowers. Gas stations offer bou- quets, but the fact that I just spent a fortune on gas does not create an urge to buy cut flowers, especially when the quality is below average. To be honest, I may have purchased cut flowers three times since I am back, which translates into three purchases in
two years. These purchases I made because I wanted to buy flowers. The grocery stores do offer wine and chocolates so as gift for friends I usually take those as they are easy available.
B
ottom line is that I spent most of my money for flowers on impulse purchases and not planned purchases. This is very difficult in Ger-
many, and so my spending on cut flowers has de- creased significantly. It is not pricing, as cut flowers are actually cheaper in Germany compared to the U.S. but convenience is more important to me than what I bring as a gift.
Flowers are beautiful and still a favorite gift item. Consequently, making cut flowers easily available to a broad audience will be key in future for growth.
Stefan Reiner is Head of Product Management Pot and Bedding Plants at Selecta Klemm, Germany.
www.SelectaCutFlowers.com FloralNews 13 4
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