It's a been a successful month for businesses at New Covent Garden Flower Market, with three calendar events following each other in quick succession: Valentine's Day (Feb 14th); International Women's Day (March 8th); and Mother's Day (March 15th).
With Valentine's Day falling on a Saturday for the first time in several years, traders reported a noticeable increase in walk-in trade from the general public.
"It was the busiest Valentine's Day I can remember in the 12 years that I've worked here at the Flower Market, the volume of trade was crazy," said Luke Gilbert of Green & Bloom. "As February 14th was a Saturday this year, we had a hectic and profitable end to the week for walk-in trade on Valentine's Day morning. We made the most of it and it worked really well for us. We were also busy in the run up with our florist trade. As we expected, roses were still the most purchased flower, especially in the classic red shade."
International Women's Day (IWD) also saw increased trade for Green & Bloom, with yellow Mimosas the most popular flower, alongside Dutch tulips in yellows and pinks. "We're seeing IWD becoming a bigger event each year, particularly with our Eastern European customers," added Luke. "We try and source as much Mimosa as we can but it's tricky for us as IWD is celebrated in March, which is towards the end of the Mimosa season, so availability is limited."
© New Covent Garden Market
Jon Hart of J Hart Flowers Ltd with Dutch tulips that have proved a best-seller over the last month
For Jon Hart of J Hart Flowers Ltd, the three calendar events across February and March more than made up for a slow start to the year due to the cold, wet, weather. "We had a fantastic Valentine's Day as well as a successful IWD and Mother's Day," he said. All cut stems were popular, with roses, tulips, and hyacinths making up more than 50% of sales. "January was so cold and wet that it really affected our trade, so we really needed a boost," Jon added. "Having three events so close together has been great for business."
© New Covent Garden Market
Dutch tulips in a range of colours have been popular throughout February and March
Bloomfield Wholesale Florist saw Mother's Day prove busier than Valentine's Day this year, with trade strong throughout the week. "We had a great Mother's Day, which was more successful for us than both Valentine's Day and IWD," said the firm's Sam Hardcastle. "We prefer Valentine's Day to fall on a weekday in terms of trade, and Saturday wasn't as busy for us. IWD was still busy, but perhaps down a little on previous years."
Source: New Covent Garden Market
