In This Issue:

2012 WF&FSA Floral Distribution Conference

2012 Retail Florist of the Year Announced: Dr Delphinium Designs & Events

Nomination Process Open for 2013 Retail Florist of the Year!

'Florist' Term Grows in Mobile, Online Searches

United Online to Spin FTD Unit

Wholesalers Are Not in Competition With Their Retailers

August 15th Deadline Looming for 2012 Operating Ratio Report - Wholesalers, to Increase Your Profit, ACT NOW!
Farm Bill Delayed Due to Drought
WF&FSA Co-Sponsors Sales Professional Training Camp
NAW Publishes Brand New Book: Sales and Marketing Optimization: Developing Competitive Value Propositions in Distribution
WF&FSA Welcomes New Member!
WF&FSA President's Club
So, What's New With You?
Value Partners: Fuelman

 

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Questions? 

Contact

Amy Orange


 

For more information on WF&FSA Events & Programs, visit www.wffsa.org

 

 

netWORK is published by WF&FSA  

105 Eastern Avenue, Suite 104, Annapolis, MD  21403 


888-289-3372 or

410-573-0400.

 

WF&FSA's President is Nick Fronduto, Jacobson Floral Supply, Boston, MA.

WF&FSA's Executive Vice President is Trish Lilly.


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nextRegister Early to Ensure Your Participation in the 2012 WF&FSA Floral Distribution Conference!

 

Key members of the wholesale florist industry will learn all about What's Next as they experience unparalleled Networking at this year's Floral Distribution Conference, October 24-26, 2012 at the Doral in Miami.  Enhance your Education with timely business topics including leadership and the emerging generations; how to make better buying decisions; and the latest in social media applications and benefits.    Benefit from Xtreme Commerce at the Table Top Displays and Hospitality Suites and peer into the future with a look at floral Trends.

 

To ensure your participation in this event, be sure to check the following links:

  1. Review all that this year's program offers you by checking out the meeting brochure.
  2. Register your delegates here.
  3. Sign up for a Table Top here.
  4. Make your reservations at the Doral by calling 800-713-6725 and ask for the 2012 WF&FSA Annual Convention special room rate of $139 - a real bargain at the Doral!  To reserve your rooms online, just click here.

rfoty2012 Retail Florist of the Year Announced:

DR DELPHINIUM DESIGNS & EVENTS


Unparalleled service and a strong focus on its core business lead this shop to succeed.

 

 

 

 

 

Co-owners Charles and Dayna Ingrum have offices in the design facility, which is located in an industrial area just a few minutes from the main shop. 

 


 

 


by Shelley Urban, Florists Review

 

"When customers walk into Dr Delphinium Designs & Events, the displays really invite them to buy. I don't think you could walk into the store and not want to buy," shares wholesale florist Jim Parks, president of J.B. Parks Wholesale Florist in Dallas, Texas. So it's no coincidence that this shop, also in Dallas, won the award for "Outstanding Merchandising and Display" in last year's "Retail Florist of the Year" contest. (Read more about that in our August 2011 issue.) But this year, co-owners Charles and Dayna Ingrum and their staff took home the top prize as this year's Retail Florist of the Year.

 

J.B. Parks Wholesale Florist, as well as Botanica Wholesale Florist in Irving, Texas, nominated the florist for the contest, which is co-sponsored by Florists' Review and the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association (WF&FSA). Read more.

nominationNomination Process Open for 2013 Retail Florist of the Year!

 

Nominations are being received for the 2013 Retail Florist of the Year. Wholesalers - do you work with a florist you feel is deserving of consideration for this recognition?   To help you decide, qualified applicants for "Retail Florist of the Year' will be judged on:

  • Visual merchandising and display, store design, and image
  • Advertising, marketing and promotional efforts
  • Customer service policies and programs
  • Employee benefits and training
  • Fresh flower selection and quality
  • Community and industry involvement
  • Overall business achievement

To submit your nomination, just click here for the Wholesaler Nomination Form and return it to WF&FSA. We'll take care of the rest.

 

Keep in mind - if your florist is selected as the recipient, your company is profiled as well in Florist's Review!

term'Florist' Term Grows in Mobile, Online Searches 
 
Reprinted Courtesy of SAF E-Brief, August 1, 2012


The term "florists" was the fifth fastest growing search category during the first quarter of 2012, up 59 percent from the end of 2011, according to
YP Local Ad Network, a company that analyzes local searches, media and advertising. The results reflect both total online and mobile (smartphone and Tablet) category searches. Read more.

unitedUnited Online To Spin FTD Unit 

Reprinted Courtesy of SAF, Wednesday E-Brief, August 8, 2012

 

United Online announced Aug. 1 that it plans to split off its FTD unit, which it acquired in 2008 for approximately $800 million, into a separate public company sometime during the first quarter of 2013.

"We are embarking on this path [...] because we believe that FTD alone has a tremendous valuation, which is not being realized within the total of United Online," said Mark Goldston, CEO of United Online, during a
conference call Aug. 1 discussing Q2 2012 results. United Online's current estimated value is $513 million.

FTD remains a wholly owned subsidiary of United Online, which is public. Mark Goldston is a shareholder, with 2.5 million shares, valued at $13 million with stock around $5.40 per share. Read more.

wholesalersWholesalers Are Not in Competition With Their Retailers

 

Jacob "Andy" Givens, Manager AT Hall's Theodore Wholesale Florist, Inc. has 13 years of experience in the floral industry, with time in both wholesale and retail. The majority of his time has been split between the Pennock Co. in the  Washington, DC market and Hall's Wholesale in the Gulf Coast area. After receiving his Bachelor's degree in Conflict Resolution from Northland College in Wisconsin, he entered the floral trade within a few months and has remained there ever since. Andy penned an article, "Wholesalers are not in Competition with their Retailers" and we are happy to share this with you. Any comments, please feel free to contact Andy at [email protected].

 

"As wholesale florists we are in a unique position to control our own destiny in the flower trade. We are able to choose what direction we will take our businesses. Are we going to continue depending entirely on the retail florist, or are we going to find an additional source of income for our companies? There are more customers than the traditional retail flower shop.

 

Depending on the wholesaler, the retail trade covers between 50% and 90% of our sales. As more retailers explore "direct buying" as an option, those wholesalers that continue to succeed in these tough times have found that the key is finding more customers, and retailers are not multiplying. With the number of retail florists at a 30-year low, we must find those "other" customers that are seeking out our wares and services. They will help us to weather the tough times, and make us better wholesalers for the retailer. This is where we begin to walk the tight rope of marketing. How do you promote your business to a clientele that is also a possible customer to your customers?" Read entire article.

operatingAugust 15th Deadline Looming for 2012 Operating Ratio Report Wholesalers - To Increase Your Profit, Act now!

 

Many WF&FSA wholesalers have already submitted their data for the 2012 Operating Ratio Report. Are you among them? The best source of financial benchmarks for the industry is the WF&FSA Operating Ratio Report. The information in this report provides answers to questions such as "Are the most successful firms in a down market placing more emphasis on gross margin management or expense control?" In short, this report presents a wealth of financial and operating guidelines. In addition, it provides direct comparisons between your firm and other participating firms. This valuable information is, however, only available to firms that participate in the study.

 

In return for your participation, you'll receive:

  • The PROFIT Report:A financial and operating profile of the entire industry.
  • Profit Improvement Profile: A confidential report sent directly to you comparing your firm with similar participating firms. Many firms take this report to the bank to discuss loans and lines of credit.
  • Profit Toolkit Online: A Microsoft� Excel spreadsheet to assist your financial planning.

The detailed benchmarking information in the Operating Ratio Report and in your Profit Improvement Profile is available to you free of charge. This is a great bargain.

 

Do not delay filling out the questionnaire.  The deadline for submission is August 15, 2012. The questionnaire may be downloaded here. 

farmFarm Bill Delayed Due to Drought

Reprinted courtesy of SAF Washington Week in Review, August 3, 2012

 

The House voted 223-197 on Thursday to provide $383 million in emergency drought assistance to farmers and ranchers, delaying work on the 2012 Farm Bill (which would also have provided disaster assistance) until at least September -- and perhaps longer. On Tuesday, House Republican leaders pulled even the proposed one-year extension of the Farm Bill from consideration, choosing instead to move just the drought-aid package to the House floor before the August recess.

The current farm bill expires at the end of September, and is important to SAF because elements of the bill provide special, and very valuable, programs for the floral and nursery industry, defined as "specialty crops" by the USDA. "The Farm Bill's research, pest and disease control, and marketing assistance programs alone provide well over $150 million annual funding for specialty crops - and all of that is at risk," says SAF's Lin Schmale. "Thanks are due to all of our members who have written to Congress in support of this bill.  It's vitally important to the entire industry. We will certainly keep up our strong efforts toward passage." Read more
.

campWF&FSA Co-Sponsors Sales Professional Training Camp 

 

This outstanding face to face training is offered twice per year. The spring program was held in April and the next program is scheduled for November 13-15 in Dayton, Ohio. This program features 2-1/2 days of practical skills, tools and fundamental disciplines that are essential for sales professionals and a productive sales team. Feedback from past attendees has been excellent. Click here for the details. 

naw 

NAW Publishes Brand New Book:

Sales and Marketing Optimization: Developing Competitive Value Propositions in Distribution

 

WF&FSA is a member of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, the association representing more than 100 lines of distribution trade. Their publications are designed specifically for wholesale distributors and their marketing partners.

 

Sales and Marketing Optimization: Developing Competitive Value Propositions in Distribution is a first-of-its-kind, best practices study that focuses on aligning customer needs, sales force priorities, and wholesaler-distributor objectives to maximize value creation. Included with this book is a separate, over-sized Sales and Marketing Framework wall map to help you follow how sales and marketing business processes and financial drivers are linked to enhance shareholder value.

 

Sales and Marketing Optimization is jam-packed with:

  • 30 best practices from actual wholesaler-distributors
  • 60 action steps that your firm can implement immediately
  • 122 examples from wholesaler-distributors across many lines of trade!

What makes this book so different from classic sales books that focus on "personal selling" tactics is that it examines sales and marketing for wholesaler-distributors from a much broader perspective in terms of sales and marketing strategy, processes, and more importantly, their connection to shareholder value and customer service.

 

As a member of WF&FSA, which is a member of NAW, you receive a discount on the purchase price. To order, click here.

membersWF&FSA Welcomes New Member
 

WF&FSA would like to welcome its newest member: May Arts Ribbon of Riverside, CT. For more information on WF&FSA membership and its benefits, Click here.

clubWF&FSA President's Club
 

We want to thank all WF&FSA members that have made voluntary contributions to the President's Club, which supports the Wholesaler Marketing Campaign. These contributions allow us to:

  • Continue to communicate a positive, unified message to floral retailers
  • Increase advertising in national and regional publications
  • Expand our publicity efforts
 To view all of our President's Club contributors, click here

newSo, What's New With You?

 

We'd like to know what's new with you and your company. Do you have any organizational changes? Have you changed your address? Added a new product line? Introduced a new product? Just send your information into WF&FSA at [email protected]. If you like, to simply the process, you may use the attached form. Or, just add us to your press release list. Email your press release to the email address above or send it to WF&FSA, 105 Eastern Avenue, Suite 104, Annapolis, MD 21403. We look forward to hearing from you!

value
  

   

 

WF&FSA and Fuelman can help you simplify the process of controlling fuel and maintenance purchases. Fuelman makes it easy to monitor spending and identify hidden costs, such as unauthorized fueling. The savings can quickly add up -- with average annual savings of 10%. There is no application fee and no annual fee. In addition, as a member of the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association you will receive a two-cent ($0.02) discount off of the posted retail price for all fuel purchases. For more information, click here.