With Valentines just gone and Mothers Day soon to come, this time of year can be hard for independent florists as they struggle to compete with supermarket prices.
Florists in the Liverpool city region have said they are now having to double their prices and people are just not prepared to pay it.
This massive increase can be seen due to the high energy prices as it has been more expensive than ever to grow flowers in the northern hemisphere this winter. Alongside this is the decrease in flowers that were being produced during the Covid pandemic and the now massive demand due to the backlog of weddings, a higher demand leads to higher costs.
Brexit has also had a big impact on the floral industry due to the custom rules and tariffs that have added £100 million to the cost of importing cut flowers into the UK. The extra checks that come with this means more paperwork which inevitably means a price increase.
Stuart, owner of Dale Street Flowers said: ”I have flowers here that used to cost me in the region of £10 plus VAT, now they’re £30 plus VAT so they’ve doubled in price. I used to sell roses for a maximum of £3 for ten but now I’ve got to sell them for £10 for ten. With bouquets for valentines I had to double my prices, last year I was selling 15 a dozen but yesterday I had to do 30 a dozen, it’s doubled up and people are not prepared to pay”
Despite the difference in price, supermarket flowers don’t have the same quality as independent florist shops with the freshness and quality of the flowers lasting longer than your average supermarket. However, due to the prices it’s now become a luxury for people to buy flowers from a florist and because of the current cost of living crisis this is a luxury a lot of people don’t have and independent florists are facing the brunt of it.
Stuart n said: “I cant compete with the supermarkets and the competition, it’s just as well I’ve gone contactless with payments otherwise I would have no sales at all and that’s guaranteed. The highstreets are dead as everywhere is shut but I don’t know anything else, I’ve done floristry my whole life so I’ve just got to get on with it.”
Liverpool florist, MQFlowers said: “It’s unpredictable, for valentines we completely sold out but we just don’t know if that will happen with mothers day too so the prices are having to go up regardless.”
Featured image (c) Molly Graff
