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floral business
Boost Floral Sales With Glad Days Event
Fresh-cut gladiola are great for consumers looking for a simple but engaging floral experience.
BY E. SHAUNN ALDERMAN
Hosting an in-store event to pro- mote one flower variety might seem to be a far-fetched effort. But what if the event called
Glad Days resulted in capturing new cus- tomers and increased floral sales?
In today’s environment where Millenni- als and younger adults are discovering indoor plants and the joy of plant parenthood, the climate is ripe for promoting gladiolus as easy- to-enjoy, retro-style flowers. This particular age group is not familiar with associating cut glads as funeral flowers — a passé stigma that supposedly caused glads to be labeled unfash- ionable and drop in popularity. No longer a so-called fashion frown, glads are inching their way back on the runway. For retailers, this resurgence is ideal timing as savvy supermar- kets are scrambling to make in-store shopping a worthwhile experience for all age groups.
Many have heard of tulip time events and rose parades but the gladiolus stands tall when it comes to being celebrated. Several Gladiolus Festivals are hosted across the country, including those in Oregon, Illinois and Michigan. In its 82nd year, the festival in Coloma, MI, includes celebrating locally grown peaches. The 2019 event is scheduled for August 2-4. As usual, Harding’s Friendly Markets in Coloma will overstock on locally grown glads for the town’s favored celebration.
What’s not to like about cut gladiola? Sure, they are on the thirsty side and require staff to keep them hydrated, but the pointed stalks featuring florets lined up on both sides of the stem are the epitome of value-added. Once purchased and taken home, more fun contin- ues as blossoming happens from the bottom up. Glads can be top on the list of experiential flowers for consumers seeking to enjoy blos- soms that evolve after the initial purchase.
PROMOTE LONG VASE LIFE
When consumers come into the floral
82 / MAY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
department looking for something long lasting, point them to the banded bundles of glads. Customers will be delighted by the wide variety of colors — from green, purple, white and red, to pastels and fanciful variet- ies featuring ruffled blooms, colored throats, speckles and other intricate patterns.
“Glads’ long vase life makes them a tremendous value and a favorite cut flower,” says Bonny Dougherty, sales manager at Glad-A-Way Gardens Inc. North of Santa Barbara in Santa Maria, CA, Glad-A-Way Gardens has been growing flowers for more than 70 years. Each week the flower farm cuts approximately 900,000 gladiolus stems, which are grown on more than 500 acres. “Our Gladiolus can have up to a 10-day vase life and are very adaptable to many differ- ent styles of arrangements,” says Dough- erty. “Because of the large size of the stems, it leaves the designer with many options to create.” Glad-A-Way Gardens maintains and hybridizes its own bulbs all in-house, which Dougherty says helps guarantee quality.
“Our customers look forward to our abun- dant displays of locally grown glads,” says Blaine Wittkopp, produce supervisor of Hard- ing’s Friendly Supermarkets based in Plainwell, MI. A SpartanNash banner, Harding’s has 24 stores in Michigan and two in Indiana. Not all stores sell floral, but according to Wittkopp,
Harding’s has significant sales of gladiolus. “We promote the glads in our Michigan Grown ad. Availability this year starts around July 4 and generally runs through mid-September.”
Great Lakes Glads Inc. in Bronson, MI, grows the gladiolas sold in Harding’s Friendly Markets. “Glads have an elongated life and are a good choice for consumers since they’re Ameri- can grown,” says Lorinda Ratkowski, president of the family owned business. Glads are not typically imported into the U. S. because they are heavy and too expensive to ship.
Display gladiolus away from direct sunlight. Make sure to include signage indi- cating the simplicity of enjoying glads at home. Provide website addresses for those shoppers wanting to delve deeper for care, handling and design information. For the Glad Days event, which will be promoted online and in-store, retailers can work with vendors and request additional POS material. Prizes and demonstrations will be popular so plan on posting plenty of photos on social media. Follow up online with answers to the main questions asked during the event. Encourage customers to post their gladioli photos using the store’s Glad Days hashtag.
OFFER UPGRADES
Customers unfamiliar with glads want to know embellishment options. Show