We are glad to announce Flowers by Florists special offer for this Bank Holiday, August 31. 

Celebrate this holiday and the last summer day with 10% discount on ALL our bouquets! 
 Just enter the Voucher Code BHDAY10 at check-out in the reserved field and get 10% off your magnificent fresh flower order.

 more details

When you order a floral gift through Flowers By Florists you can be assured that you gift will arrive on the day of your choice, delivered by a local proffesional florist member of our network. We do not use a central make up facility or courier delivery unlike many of our competitors such as Interflora or Flowers Direct we guarantee every one of our orders will be fulfilled and hand delivered by a local florist and not arrive in a box by a postal or courier service.

Every order is hand made from choice flowers and foliage to the highest standards and through our unique charging structure you can always ensure the best value for money. We belong to the British Florists Association and abide by their code of practice.

Enjoy your sunny days to the fullest with Flowers by Florists

What will brighten anyone's "summer in the city"? It's definitely one of the colorful, fresh bouquets and arrangements from Flowers by Florists Summer Collection>!
Sending one of our splendid floral gifts will put a shining smile on your honey's face and make their sunny day simply sensational.
And what's more sensational - only in August you can save 10% on all Summer Flowers! Just enter the Voucher Code AUGUST10 at check-out in the reserved field and get the discount on your magnificent fresh flower order.

Discover the summer of flower abundance with Flowers by Florists!

Find up to date money off voucher codes for Flowers By Florists at

www.myvouchercodes.co.uk

BUSINESS RATE INCREASE 2009/10

Following the recent announcement by HM Government that business rates for 2009/10 will only increase by 2% instead of the planned 5% the President of the British Florist Association (BFA), Mark Ward has issued the following statement.

“I am delighted that the government has listened to business leaders and trade associations, including the BFA who made numerous representations to the Chancellor, Alistair Darling over concerns of the 5% increase in business rates. Such an increase during the current economic climate could have proved detrimental for many SME’s, including some of our members of BFA.

We are pleased that as part of a concerted effort, by business organisations, including the BFA the government has decided to cap the increase for the next financial year at just 2%. We hope that this will help many small businesses through what are quite difficult times.”

http://www.floriguard.com/index.htm

BFA Floriguard Insurance now online. 
Florist-specific shop cover, florist-specific van insurance now available. Exclusive discounts for BFA members!

Hub Meeting and RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year Heat - last chance to enter!

Sunday August 16th -  William Higham Wholesalers, Wigan, Lancs

This Hub meeting will be a daytime event, with demonstration, refreshments, and trade stands. Please register your intent to attend by emailing info@britishfloristassociation.org with your shop name and number of attendees. Hub meetings are free to BFA members (2 attendees per shop) and £10 per head thereafter, and non members may also attend at £10 per head.

It's not too late to enter the RHS Chelsea Heat - you will need to submit a piece of floristry, following the relevant competition schedules. The highest scoring entries from each category will qualify for a place at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. See the BFA website for full details and further dates. Two categories available: Under 25, and 25 and over.

Competition schedule: Create and Design a funeral tribute for a keen gardener.Fresh flowers/ foliage must predominate. The judges will be looking for a high standard of composition and technique.

To register to compete in the Regional Heats:

1. Email info@britishfloristassociation.org with:
    Your NAME,
    CATEGORY (Young Florist, or Florist),  
    WHICH REGIONAL HEAT you are attending.
Please put "Regional Heat Registration" as the subject line.      

 

(Alternatively, simply send an email to info@britishfloristassociation.org with the word Unsubscribe in the subject line)

 

 BFA, PO Box 5161, Dudley, DY1 9FX   Website: www.Britishfloristassociation.org   email: info@britishfloristassociation.org

Managing through the downturn in the UK Florist Market

Management Workshop Launch Press Release

The BFA in partnership with CBG and Train to Gain have successfully completed the first 12 Management Workshops “Managing through the downturn in the UK Florist Industry” – the response has been outstanding - 72% of delegates said the workshop “exceeded” their expectations! These workshops, specifically tailored to the retail florist, are worth £500 per delegate, and available fully funded by Train to Gain.

At the workshop we present and discuss many of the future challenges and opportunities facing Independent Florists, the most popular areas of discussion were:

Ø  Managing in the recession

Ø  Winning new and profitable customers

Ø  Increasing customer transaction spend – 29 gifting occasions

Ø  Improving your margin – protecting your Balance Sheet

Ø  Next generation web development for Florists

Ø  Emerging customer trends – Fair Trade, Ethical Shopping and Local Supply

Ø  Targeting your most profitable customers

Ø  In-store design, product ranging, point of sale and staff training

Ø  How to differentiate vs. your local competitors

Ø  Business efficiency – cash flow, waste, stock management, pricing and cost

Ø  At each workshop we aim to achieve up to 15% business efficiency improvement and new business worth a minimum of  £50,000 pa

Delegates have stated the following areas are of particular relevance: 

• Web Development
• Margin improvement
• Improving your pricing position 
• Building the company business plan - issues and opportunities
• Creating competitive advantage – competing online
• Future market and customer trends
• Sustainability and Fair Trade
• Business efficiencies – particularly improving cash flow

There is a further opportunity at the workshop for delegates to network and share their own local challenges and opportunities – such as the impact of “Relay” on profit margins, corporate and wedding business.

In the afternoon, we have developed plans and strategies for each individual business – each bespoke plan aims to improve company financial and competitive performance.

Future Workshops

Delegate places remain available at all UK Management Workshops; remember if you employ 5 staff or more inc. owners, partners, directors and part-time staff you are eligible to recover the full cost of the workshop through the Train to Gain Leadership and Management Scheme. Funding takes around 28 days, so register now for the next set of workshops in the East Midlands & North West in September:        
1 September 2009 Hellidon Lakes – Northampton

2 September 2009 Forest Pines – Lincoln

3 September 2009 Forest Hill Country Club – Leicester

8 September 2009 Horsley Golf and Country Club – Derby

9 September 2009 The Belfry – Nottingham

10September 2009 Elton Furze Country Club – Peterborough

15 September 2009 Park Royal Hotel – Warrington

16 September 2009 Ashton Lea Golf and Country Club – Preston

17 September 2009 Houghwood Golf and Country Club – Liverpool

29 September 2009 The Midland Hotel – Manchester

Dates also available for Yorkshire & Humber and North East in October, East and Oxford & Bucks in November.

Workshop registration is easy – just visit and download the Registration Form from the BFA website www.britishfloristassociation.org . Simply post or fax your registration to the  address shown and we will do the rest!

Please find what delegates had to say so far ………………….

“I would like to say I have found the course to be of great interest and inspiration”

Stem by Stem - Folkestone

"The workshop helped to focus my mind it left me feeling optimistic that I now have a clear strategy for the future of the business"

County Flowers – Taunton

“During my business career I have attended many business seminars; it was of great value to attend a management workshop that is totally focused on the florist industry, with aims and objectives to benefit my business. All the workshop delegates were florist, so it was very beneficial to hear and discuss specific challenges and opportunities relating to our industry with like minded business people.”

Susan’s Flower Shop - Torbay.

Welcome to the new style BFA e-news!

You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time,simply click the link at the bottom of the page.

We have a brand new website due for launch shortly, so it made sense to tidy up our newsletter as well. Our new website, produced by BFA Corporate Member FloristPro, is going to have a new clean look, and most importantly, be easy to use! We have so much information, and so many events taking place, that our current website simply cannot cope with it all. There will be a new members area, and integrated shop, and news and events will be much easier to find. 

Next Hub Meeting and RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year Heat

Sunday August 16th -  William Higham Wholesalers, Wigan, Lancs

This Hub meeting will be a daytime event, with demonstration, refreshments, and trade stands. Please register your intent to attend by emailing info@britishfloristassociation.org with your shop name and number of attendees. Hub meetings are free to BFA members (2 attendees per shop) and £10 per head thereafter, and non members may also attend at £10 per head.

To enter the competition you will need to submit a piece of floristry, following the relevant competition schedule, into one of the regional qualifying heats to be held at the BFA Hub Meetings. The highest scoring entries from each category will qualify for a place at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. See the BFA website for full details and further dates. Two categories available: Under 25, and 25 and over.

Competition schedule: Create and Design a funeral tribute for a keen gardener.Fresh flowers/ foliage must predominate. The judges will be looking for a high standard of composition and technique.

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