British Florist Association Newsletter Update

Next Hub Meeting and RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year Heat

Thursday 8th October -  Van Vliet Cash & Carry, Unit 5 Wednesbury One, Black Country New Road, WS10 7NZ

Start time 6.30pm, demonstration by Sarah Cunningham. 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.

Minimum Wage Increase

A gentle reminder regarding changes in law on October 1st 2009

THE NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE WILL INCREASE TO:

£5.80 - workers aged 22 and older
£4.83 - workers aged 18 to 21
£3.57 - workers aged 16 to 17

ALSO REDUNDANCY PAY WILL INCREASE FROM £350 TO £380 PER WEEK.

 FleurEx Free Giveaways!

Our Conference Flower Sponsors, Dutch Creations have announced free surprise giveaways, for the first 100 attendees at FleurEx on Saturday, and first 100 on Sunday!     Trade Exhibitors UTV Internet will also be offering a free 1GB USB memory stick to all attendees who visit their stand.

If you are a BFA member and have not yet registered for your FREE FleurEx ticket, don't leave it too much longer as you may miss out! Tickets will also be available on the day at £10 per person, cash only. Full information on FleurEx, including demonstrations, trade fair, business seminars and hands on workshops, can be seen on our website: http://www.britishfloristassociation.org/home.htm?id=18

Retail Workshop Update

 it too Over 100 delegates have now attended the Florist Management Workshops “Managing through the downturn in the UK Florist Industry”. The response continues to be outstanding - 75% of delegates said the workshop “exceeded” their expectations!

Please find what florists had to say at the most recent workshops ...

“A good day, lots of new ideas to take away – thank you” – The Rose Bower Sutton in Ashfield

“The information was very relevant and will be helpful for future planning, the workshop exceeded my personal objectives” – Young Blooms Trowbridge

“I was very excited to come today; Paul met all my expectations and showed great knowledge” The Stem and Petal Co. London

“Very insightful, made me think outside my comfort zone – thank you” Ena’s Florist Bournemouth

“In all honesty, all the of the workshop was very helpful – I’m a new start-up florist business” Flowers of Perfection Bath

Delegates have stated the following areas are of particular help to their business:
• 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
• Winning new and profitable customers
• Increasing customer transaction spend – 29 gifting occasions
• In-store design, product ranging, point of sale and staff training

Future Training and Skills
UK Independent Florists face significant challenges to remain competitive, particularly at this time of economic uncertainty. One of our most valuable assets is the skills of our staff – young and old.
Investment in staff skills improves: Business Profitability, Competitiveness, Productivity, Staff Morale and Motivation, Customer Service
 At the Management Workshop we identify the future skills and development needs for owners, directors and staff. Also, we put in place the right Company Training Plan, which is precisely aligned to improve your Company’s future financial and competitive performance.

Autumn Workshops - Delegate places remain available at the following 2009 Management Workshops:

• Darlington – 14 October
• Newcastle - 15 October
• Exeter – 20 October
• Crawley – 22 October
• Chelmsford – 4 November
• Cambridge – 5 November  
• Norwich – 11 November
• Ipswich - 12 November 
• High Wycombe – 17 November
• Oxford – 18 November
• Luton – 19 November

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. Workshop registration is easy – just visit and download the Registration Form from the BFA website http://www.britishfloristassociation.org/home.htm?id=47

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.

 New BFA Website

We're very excited about our brand new website, which is due to launch any day now... we'll be sending out an update when it is live, so you can tell us what you think!

Florist Management Workshop Update!

The BFA in partnership with CBG and Train to Gain continue to deliver the highly successful Florist Management Workshops throughout the Autumn of 2009 – since the June launch the response has been outstanding - 72% of delegates said the workshop “exceeded” their expectations!

Please find what delegates had to say from the August workshops ………………….

“I have found the workshop to be extremely useful for my future plans and taking the business forward. The workshop was an excellent introduction to thinking about the wider picture and how florists could develop their business. The ideas I took away from this workshop have taken shape into plans to implement in the future”

Stem by Stem – Folkestone

“Very insightful – the workshop made me think outside my comfort zone”

Ena’s Florist - Bournemouth

“I was really excited to attend the Management Workshop – it met all my expectations”

Stem and Petal – London

“In honesty, I found the entire workshop relevant and helpful to my business”

Flowers of Perfection - Bath

At the workshop we present and build new strategies with you to meet the future challenges and opportunities facing Independent Florists, the most popular areas of discussion and strategy development are:

Managing in the recession
Winning new and profitable customers
Increasing customer transaction spend – 29 gifting occasions
Improving your margin – protecting your Balance Sheet
Next generation web development for Florists

 Emerging customer trends – Fair Trade, Ethical Shopping and Local Supply
Targeting your most profitable customers
In-store design, product ranging, point of sale and staff training
How to differentiate vs. your local competitors
Business efficiency – cash flow, waste, stock management, pricing and cost
At each workshop we aim to achieve up to 15% business efficiency improvement and new business worth a minimum of  £50,000 pa

Autumn Workshops throughout the UK

Delegate places remain available at all of the Autumn 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.

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

Any queries on workshops or content, please contact Paul Drabble on 01453 872096 or pauldrabble@cbg-ltd.com

More ways to keep in touch! Do you Tweet? Are you on Facebook?

Twitter is a real-time messaging service that allows it's users to update short messages.The BFA is now on Twitter.com as BritishFlorist.

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.

More ways to keep in touch! Do you Tweet? Are you on Facebook?

See the British Florists Association video on You Tube by following the link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUx579lUPvo

A FREE new members benefit – normal retail price £120 per year or more!