4 Advantages of Running a Flower Shop Business

Alice Tuffery, writer

Published at 17/09/2018, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 6 min

Have you always dreamed of running your own flower shop business? Here, we take a look at some of the top advantages of becoming a florist, and how you can get involved in the sector by joining a thriving franchise.

Advantages of Running a Flower Shop Business

1. Multiple streams of revenue

People buy flowers for all sorts of reasons. From weddings to funerals, birthdays to anniversaries, flowers are a popular gift for events throughout the year. By offering a wide variety of floral arrangements, you can maximise your revenue. But catering for different occasions is just one way to boost your income; you’ll also be able to target all kinds of customer groups.

Many flower shop businesses sell to commercial customers, retail stores and other organisations, as well as to the public. Owning a florist’s gives you the chance to add additional revenue streams to your business model.

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2. Follow your passion

If you love flowers, you’ll be able to pour your passion into your business. You’ll probably also strive to boost your product knowledge and technical skills, which will help you develop as an entrepreneur. By actively pursuing new floral trends and brushing up on the latest industry news, you’ll be more likely to push your business forward.

Remember, only a handful of people get the chance to turn their passion into a business. So, if you enjoy creating beautiful floral arrangements – and have good business acumen – you should consider opening your own shop. And, as the famous quote goes, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

3. Be creative

Flower shop businesses can be more fun than others because they give their owners the chance to be creative. From putting together attractive bouquets to assembling eye-catching window displays, there are plenty of opportunities to get your creative juices flowing. Once you’ve learned the basic rules of flower arranging, you’ll be able to use your own imagination to develop exciting, new floral groupings.

Whether you’re reflecting industry trends or creating a customer’s personalised piece, you’ll be able to step away from the management side of the business to focus on creating something special. This is not only fun, but also incredibly good for mental wellbeing. If you find yourself feeling stressed, spending a few moments crafting something beautiful can help ease the pressure.

4. Be involved in the community

Flower shop businesses are at the heart of the community. Why? Because people turn to them at important milestones in their life. You’ll get to be a part of a huge number of special occasions, from creating table displays at a baby’s christening to the bouquet a bride walks down the aisle with.

Often, florists also come to be involved in creating bouquets for partners who hope to make amends after a bump in the road. And many flower shop owners become privy to sensitive information – which, of course, they never reveal! This puts you right at the heart of your community, and it’s likely you’ll make good friends among your customer base. In return for their trust, you’ll need to be able to give useful recommendations and create personalised arrangements for those who need them.

Current state of the florist sector

The UK’s flower shop business sector experienced an annual growth of around 0.8 percent between 2014 and 2019, and is now worth around £1 billion. It employs over 20,000 people, who work in more than 14,000 different businesses. As consumers increasingly buy flowers for themselves outside of special occasions, entrepreneurs have the chance to create a profitable business in this sector.

By researching the market in detail, you can make sure you maximise your profitability. Consumer habits have changed drastically over the years, and buying behaviour changes between demographics. For instance, women aged 35-54 are most likely to buy over the counter and are responsible for 75 percent of all sales. On the other hand, men aged 20-35 are far more likely to order flowers over the phone. The introduction of phone ordering systems more than a decade ago had a drastic impact on the industry, just as online ordering has in the last few years.

Huge step forward In 2017, the online flower market grew by 41 percent.

In 2017, the online flower market grew by an impressive 41 percent. Much of this growth was driven by large organisations introducing digital infrastructure from other parts of their businesses to their floristry department. For instance, Waitrose Flowers and Moonpig are two businesses that don’t primarily specialise in flowers but were able to leverage their existing digital systems and customer bases to sell them successfully.

Interflora is also an important player in the online floristry scene. While it’s often thought of as a franchise, it’s actually a non-profit, membership-based organisation working to increase the visibility of independent florists’ delivery services. On top of this, smaller florists and floristry franchises are also developing more efficient online services and taking a larger share of the market.

Flower shop franchises

Let’s take a quick look at a couple of franchises working in the flower shop business sector.

Inleaf

Inleaf installs and maintains plant displays for business, hotels and homes across the UK, from live walls to moss pictures. Although it works mainly with plants, flowers still constitute a large part of the business. The franchise emphasises the importance of indoor foliage in creating a healthy atmosphere to increase productivity, reduce air pollution and lower stress.

Becoming an Inleaf franchisee: If you’re physically fit and have the ambition to provide a high-quality service to customers across your territory, Inleaf wants to talk to you. Click here to get the process started.
How much you need to invest: You’ll need to raise a total initial investment of just over £30,000. This will generate an expected revenue of £76,000 after two years and grant you the rights to trade under the Inleaf name and brand image.
What you get for your investment: The Inleaf franchise package includes a detailed operations manual and access to custom-built systems, which will help you produce professional and accurate quotes in minutes. You’ll also get expert training and mentoring throughout the first six months of your franchise journey.

Endura Roses

Endura Roses is a UK franchise specialising in preserved flowers and plants. Whether sent as a gift or used for weddings, corporate events or special occasions, preserved flowers are an increasingly popular choice amongst consumers. This is a growing market, so Endura Roses offers a lucrative business opportunity for the right investor.

Becoming an Endura Roses franchisee: Endura Roses is looking for UK-based investors to take its flower shop business to new territories. To get involved, visit its website here.
How much you need to invest: To become a franchisee, you'll need to invest £120,000. The franchise offers a great deal of support, including help with selecting and fitting out your store and running marketing campaigns.
What you get for your investment: All franchisees are enrolled in an initial period of training and benefit from ongoing support.

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Joining the flower shop business sector

There are plenty of traditional flower shops out there, but these two franchises demonstrate how the market is changing. As innovative, new businesses carve out a space for themselves in the sector, there are more opportunities to join a unique franchise model and benefit from a growing customer base.

Of course, conventional flower shop businesses are thriving too – particularly those with an online department. As increasing numbers of consumers buy flowers for the home on a regular basis, the profit potential of starting a florist’s shop grows.

To browse our full range of retail store franchises looking for new franchisees, click here.