Tier we go again ... BGK/BPP's back on!
Whilst everyone expected the announcements from Nicola and Boris yesterday (in the same way Macron, Merkle and Mark Rutte et al have had to issue hard rules) and it’s all a bit dreary (first understatement of the year!) I refuse to get totally doom and gloomy.
1: Because doom and gloom does nothing to help. Yes it is getting harder to keep positive and even I (normally a half glass full girl) allow myself the occasional wallow, wobble, Dark Rum, and cry! But none of that will get my business back on track or resolve all the ills of the world.
2: Being brutally honest, the timing is actually not as bad for the flower industry as it could be. We will get the ‘wish we were together’ gifts and sadly far too many funerals, but as a rule January does not hit the trading heights of other months. Given there is additional financial help out there, businesses can genuinely operate on shorter hours and even choose not to offer click and collect if they want, which means there will be plenty of time to plan for a belting Valentines ... yup I do think it will be good! ... oh yes and get the whole post-Brexit* delivery processes practiced and refined.
3: As I keep banging on, our industry advantages are HUGE compared to many and as a sector (the magazine deals with everyone from grower to small independent florist and all points in between) it has fared pretty darned well in 2020 all things considered. Of course there have been some horrific losses, drops in turnover, closures, redundancies etc – and the wedding and event business has been particularly hard hit - but there hasn’t been the decimation that some sectors have seen.
Which means that even with another six weeks or so of Lockdown we start 2021 in a better place than many. Not only are flowers and plants the natural connectors, but with two peaks still to come and delivery part and parcel of our trade there are strong opportunities ahead.
It won’t be easy (heck when was working with flowers and plants ever easy!) but it will not be impossible and, to be blunt, giving up now after all everyone has been through in the last 9 months just doesn’t seem right.
The elastic in the BGK and BBP’s may be being stretched to the limit but given there's probably still a bit of zing left in them let’s do it!!
Keep safe, keep going!
PS: Brexit and all that stuff
I managed to wade through half the document - 1200+ pages of some seriously wordy sentences which made my editorials look positively light weight!!
The main thing is that there will be no tariffs for goods coming into the UK and, as we reported months ago, inspections on flowers won’t start till well after Mother’s Day. Paperwork, particularly on plants, is going to be far more onerous, but it should not impact on the majority of the industry as it will be the responsibility of the wholesaler/exporter; men and women who will deserve even more brownie points.
As such whilst companies will need to cover their time for said paperwork it shouldn’t have a massive impact on flower prices; they will continue to be ruled more by supply and demand than anything else. However, as we said way back in March 2020 – given it is still early days we suggest everyone should build in an extra 24/36 hours on order times just in case.
Caroline Marshall-Foster
Editor
