The first few days of April brought signs that demand is beginning to pick up along the floral industry supply chain — a potentially encouraging indicator ahead of a major holiday that will be anything but business as usual, even for florists who can offer select services.
“Two weeks ago, we ran trucks out of Florida, but we had almost no volume at all,” said David Armellini of Armellini Logistics in Miami during “Fresh Product Supply Update,” an April 9 Society of American Florists’ webinar. “Then it jumped 50 percent.” At first it wasn’t clear if the boost came only from Easter sales, but the following week, volume was up roughly 22 percent over the week before.
As of April 9, about 60 percent of Armellini’s customers (mostly wholesale florists) were using the company’s services, reported Armellini, a former member of SAF’s Wholesalers Council: “Every day we’re getting phone calls from people opening back up. Momentum and volume are continuing to rise.”
Read more at the Society of American Florists (Bruce Wright)