Florist News

I opened for business last weekend in a my local shopping centre, as i live around the corner i know most of the traders in there (small town). The bloke that runs the fruit and veg shop was up in arms when he found out i was opening up. He rang the landlords and threatend to pull his shop out and even spoke to the local wholesaler to persuade them not to supply me, as he get his stuff from them. He sells bunches ready made and bedding plants. I can't really see his problem as i feel i am offering a totally different service but he says he is the Florist in the centre. He does advertise that he sells floral tributes and bouquets but if he gets an order he rings a woman who makes it up at home and brings it over for him. He was spotted outside my shop at 7am taking note of all my prices. His dad has walked past my shop about 20 times today, (the road doesn't lead any where so hes obviously just coming to have a look.) I feel like going into the shop and inviting them to come up and have a look around rather than just walking past. My hubby says just ignore them as they are obviously worried by us. Does everyone have this problem?

I wouldn't worry, it will probably calm down, people don't like change and he just feels threatened by you. You just have to be strong, stick to your guns, carry on offering the products and services you set out to do and build your business responding to your actual customers' needs. We did have this with a new shop that opened up the road, they came in to spy and rang us up at the peaks to price check, we just treated them as any other customer, friendly and polite, there's no point going to war with them! If it is blatantly ridiculous them patrolling outside your shop I'd try inviting them in, but you'll probably find this puts their backs up more than just grinning and bearing it.

Good luck with the new shop BTW!

Hi,

Not a good start to what should be a really exciting time, but if I was you, I would start to buy my fruit & veg from him. Just a suggestion but at least you are face to face.

Wishing you lot's of success.

Kez x

Really don't see the problem. Does he carry a full range of flowers or just the ready mades etc. If he's not offering a complete range which means most of what is available, then he can't really claim to be 'the florist'. If you have the same landlord, then it's quite obvious that he has no clause in his lease preventing you from opening or you wouldn't have opened. That is probably what he is p@@sed off about, he didn't think to do that on day one. Our lease has a clause that prevents the landlord letting any of the other units to the same trade.

Why is he worried? If he has a busy fruit & veg shop with a reasonably high footfall, then he should be selling lots of 'ready mades' at a bargain price. If he has ambitions of creating an 'upmarket florist' image alongside the cabbages, then he is wasting his time. It just won't work. He won't ever get people to pay the right price for bespoke bouquets and flower arrangements. People walk into fruit & veg shops expecting everything to be cheap. That is the nature of food retailing, it's very price sensitive.

Been there...done that....15 years selling fruit & flowers...totally different ball game to your florist shop. You just don't have time to mess about with the flowers. You just want to sell them. We managed to get turnover up to well over a million pounds a year at bargain prices. You don't want to be making up bouquets and spending time with people, you just want to be sure that everyone who walks through your door picks up a bunch of flowers. Much like what Tesco does now.

If you're offering the up market products, then he should be gratefull. It's another service that should help to stop people driving to another town, where they may just buy their fruit & veg as well. He should be buying you lunch!

__________________

Hi guys thanks for the advice. Kez i did buy my fruit and veg from him but to be honest the quality wasn't great so i use the one in town now.
Fly- he just sells made up stuff and i think people will still go to him for that, i think the problem is he sells a bit of everything, he sells pet food and theres a pet shop opposite. The landlords did say to him that i was providing a service that he doesn't.
The main thing is since saturday i have had loads of people say "its about time we had a Florist in here" so they don't see him has a florist either and thats what counts.
I'm sure he will calm down.

Good luck with your new shop Debs

Bel x

good luck with your shop debs, it can be a really hard slog so be prepared!!
as for the fruit and veg man, thats all he is, he is not a florist, or floral designer, he just sells bunches that he doesnt make himself and that really annoys me, the woman next door to me in the spar sells crap bunches, cheap old flowers that i wouldnt give her 10p for and i hate the woman, she tried to copy my ideas at peak periods and you will always get one person at a row of shops that is not happy you are there, and resents you for it,thats life im afraid, rise above it and let your flowers do the talking, even put a sign up that says that your designs are all made by either qualified of experienced florists, dont let it get you down, they will give up eventually, there is always room for competition

good luck with this guy..
we had this with a newsagent wen we moved in.. he was upset that we sold chocs.. when our chocs were completly different kind to his. and he was upset we sold greeting cards coz he did too..
so we jsut smiled..
.. now he is selling vases and fake flowers!!!

strange people in the world!!!

i am sure that you will do well .. especialy if ppl have been saying "we have been missing a florist here"""

post some pics of your new place some time so that we can all have a peek.

Hiya Debs Don't Know If You Read My Thread Copy Cats But I've Had Loads Of Problems With A Florist Who Opened Up The Road From Me Hes Been Trying His Hardest To Pi** Me Off Its Worked As Well But The Only Thing That Has Saved Me Is This Place I Got So Upset By Them I Came On Here And Told Everyone What Had Been Happening And The Main Response Back Was That They Were Jealous And That I Should Be Proud That Someone Wants To Copy Me And That They Are Threatened By Me It Seems Funny Saying It But Just This Week I Had A Report Written About Mein The Local Paper Re:flower Shop Of The Year Comp Well It Was A Fab Report And I Did Say Something About - Anyone Can Just Open A Shop But You'll Find Thaat In Our Shop We Only Have Qualified Florists Etc.. Etc.. And I Know Fully Well They Have No Training Or Experience They May Be Good At Some Things But They Can't Even Do A Aqua Pack!?! So I Just Grin And Bear There Insults And Smirks And Snide Remarks Sod Em!!! I'm Better Than You!!!! Chin Up Have A Fab First Week Post Us Sonme Pics Of Your Shop Love Sarah