Feb 10, 2016
How Sweet It IsBy Abby (Kleckler) McGarry

Valentine’s Day is four days away, and this year the holiday has one extra thing going for it: It’s on a Sunday.

Feb. 14 is the second largest “floral holiday” in terms of dollar spending, second only to Mother’s Day, according to research from Prince & Prince Inc. This market research shows consumers will spend $3.3 billion at retail on fresh floral products and any delivery charges that go with that.

It’s not only roses and bouquets. Think orchids and houseplants too. Sell something that will last even longer than the plants inside.

Candy still remains at the top of the National Retail Federation’s list with 50 percent purchasing those sweet treats, but more than 35 percent are opting for flowers either in addition to or instead of Sweethearts and chocolate.

Thirst Quenching

One garden center event caught my eye this past week: a record-breaking bloody mary toast. Milaeger’s in Racine, Wisconsin, had 637 people toast with this tomato-juice cocktail.

The idea behind the toast? To drum up excitement for the weekly farmer’s market at the garden center. Not only did it do this but it also gave the store some free publicity with writeups like this one in the local paper.

What unique events do you do at your garden center? I’d love to hear about those things that not every store is doing, but they really seem to work. Send me a message at akleckler@greatamericanpublish.

Cheers,

Abby


Abby (Kleckler) McGarry

Abby (Kleckler) McGarry is the managing editor of Lawn & Garden Retailer. Contact her at [email protected].