Florist News

Hi all I would welcome your thoughts I am in discussions with a local garden centre re opening a florists shop within. I am ready to take the plunge but dont have the money at the moment I am just a little unsure of a few things which I will list and would value your replies.

CONS
1 They have tried to sell flowers before and it hasn't worked due to them being overpriced and just bog standard bunches, they didn't offer the full package which I would.

2 I wouldn't be able to sell pot/ house/ garden plants.

3 He wanted a rent of £500 for 3 days over a bank holiday period ( I declined)

4 Unsupportive husband

5 Long hours 7 days a week

6 No start up money at the moment

Now for the good bit

PROS

1 It attracts affluent visitors very busy at the weekends and the manager states that over a bank holiday it is 5000 people a day!!

2 Close to home, ample parking, no competition, could still do the school run

3 I also make handmade cards and wedding stationary which he is happy for me to sell

4 They will advertise and I can use their rooms (at a charge) for teaching and demos

5 they are fully booked in the restaurant for Mothers Day and Christmas and would be established by then

Thanks for taking the time to read this sorry to go on please advise me of your thoughts and any advice on how to raise the finance would be appreciated

Rent for 3 days 500 quid is he having a laugh

I told him so and declined although he was of the belief that sales of £1000 a day was possible so I said why are you not doing it then? The thing is I can't stop thinking about it as Im sure that it could work I was thinking of rent around £100 a week for a small amount of space is this realistic do you think?

he has space he wants to get shot of, you want somewhere to open your business, you can take your business anywhere he cant.

offer him only what you thinks it is worth. ask him if you can set up a stall for a few weeks and see if you have the trade to go into a contracted lease.
if he wants you there he will help out at the first stages, if he is just trying to make money out of you he wont.

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Never say never.

Well, unless your sure.

Thanks louise4 as you say if he wants me there then he should be willing to offer a little assistance to get it up and running after all once established new customers will be drawn in for a service not offered elsewhere within the garden centre, he really has nothing to lose as Im sure he isn't making £100 per week profit on the cacti sat in the proposed space

exactly, dont let him do all the talking, you have to put your twopenneth in as well. good luck

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Never say never.

Well, unless your sure.

You could probably find yourself a half decent shop for that money. It's 3 times what i was paying for a main road position.

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I agree with fly, £100 per week is a lot for being in someone elses shop, I pay that for a high street shop in a small town. I'd offer him £50 to be reviewed in a couple of months or something like that, because as you say flowers have been tried before so theres no saying things will work out....I do think its worth a go thought and good luck

As there are a lot of empty shops around at the minute and on short leases and reduced rents why not go in that direction?Not being funny but if u make a roaring sucess in the garden centre he might turn funny and throw you out and carry on were u left off, just be very careful

ye funks thats a good point