Will International Women’s Day beat all time flower sales?

MOSCOW, Russia: International Women’s Day on 8 March is a national holiday in many countries, including Russia where it is also known as the most important floral holiday after Mother’s Day and Knowledge Day (1 September). A few days ahead of the big day FCI sampled the sentiments in the trade and asked Vadim Bogdanov, the driving force behind Russia’s emerging online flower and plant delivery service, Potted.ru, how he is approaching International Women’s Day.

What’s your overall anticipation for this year’s sales for International Women’s Day in Russia?

“We just started selling. Most of our customers booked orders with other suppliers last December. So, currently we process mainly smaller orders. For this year we anticipate the outcome of statistics on customer preferences.”

With regards to worldwide supply and demand, how balanced is it?

“We do not sell around the world yet; however, I can say that generally speaking everything is more or less standard. We do notice an increased demand for new flowers and plants.”

Are there any flowers plants you are running short off?

“Yes, sure. We have a keen interest in Japanese flowers, dried flowers, mosses, etc.”

What about pricing?

“We didn’t see a significant increase in prices in the Netherlands nor Ecuador. Meanwhile in Russia, we’re seeing strong growth, primarily due to higher logistics prices and high demand on the eve of the holiday, but we maintain market prices for this region.”

You have got to do a fair bit of crystal ball gazing. What are your most popular products at the moment?

“Nothing really exciting, fairly standard propositions in the spring collection  such as tulips and acacia dealbata.”

Sunday, March 8th, is International Women’s Day which celebrates all those who identify as women with events and activities around the world. This year, the theme of the day is “Each for Equal”, which highlights creating an equal world to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements.

A celebration of International Women’s Day happens in more than 100 nations (35 declare it a national holiday). People around the world give flowers and other small gifts to show respect, appreciation and love to the women in their lives. For the occasion of Russia’s International Women’s Day sees it sees its flower sales double. At the same time, in other countries such as Italy, the Festa della Donna is celebrated by the giving of mimosa blossom.

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