Thessaloniki: How Alexandrino saved the florists
Of Lemonia Vasvanis
From the printed edition “Thessalonica Press”
But the holidays are over florists saw a 30% drop in cut flower sales.
And while December is considered a good month as the Christmas and New Year market moves more, professional florists did not see their coffers fill up.
“People have chosen to visit either domestic or foreign tourist destinations. Some preferred to honor the focus by going out for food or drinks. A third portion of the population went to a festive table. But even there there was no big opening for them to take flowers. More went, for example, parents to their children or vice versa. So they didn’t get it flowers and not even the housewives decided to get flowers to decorate their house or table. So based on the above we saw a 30% drop in cut flower sales,” said to “TyposThes” Mr. Manolis Syllis, member of the Administrative Committee of the Professional Chamber of Thessaloniki.
Alexandrino had its “honorary”.
However, he added that “sales went well during the holidays plants and especially of the Alexandrians which are inextricably linked with Christmas. All three colors, red, pink and white were sold and there were even shortages. We had judged based on the previous years when the pandemic was more intense and we did not foresee that we would see so many sales in Alexandrina. But these brought us a balance in our finances”.
Alexandrino is a plant that is also produced in our country. On the contrary, most cut flowers are imported. And the losses from their sales “hurt” the florists more. “We are talking about fresh flowers that last a week at most and if they are not sold then they wither and we throw them away,” commented Mr. Syllis.
They’re going for a record 200,000 Valentine’s Day roses
Next target is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s day is when florists see a big increase in their turnover as there are many customers who will make them buy flowers for their beloved.
“In the years that have passed, due to the pandemic, we have seen more traffic. We hope that this will continue and that people will support our profession and our shops with their purchases. Each colleague will do their own preparation and planning for this day. We estimate that 90% of the flowers are not imported. This year let’s surpass the 100,000 roses sold and reach 150,000-200,000 roses for the prefecture of Thessaloniki. We are talking about a record number. This day is of the rose as this flower is preferred by most people. And in fact, 80% prefer red roses while 20% buy roses of other colors”, said Mr. Syllis.
As for their cost? It ranges from 3 to 5 euros depending on the quality, he noted, while adding that “in winter, flowers are always at higher prices as there is the increased cost of their maintenance. “There is no speculation ahead of Valentine’s Day,” he commented.