Valentine’s Day ‘no bed of roses’

VALENTINE’S Day may bring partners together this week but Scotland’s florists are becoming more promiscuous in seeking out new business.

Glasgow florist Nick Priestly, who runs a shop, design studio and flower school at Anniesland, says business from weddings and corporate events is much more lucrative for independents such as his own.

Furthermore, cash-strapped British consumers are spending less on Valentine’s Day flowers, with the traditional red roses among the hardest hit.

Priestly says that red roses remain expensive despite the drop in demand because they are being shipped to Asia, where a growing taste for western luxury is making them a hit, so florists can’t make higher profits on them.

“We don’t especially promote red roses,” he says.

“I think there’s more value for money in whites or pinks. And some ladies just don’t like red roses and maybe don’t want £60 spent on them in the current climate.”

Priestly, whose Mood Flowers business handles 200 weddings a year and turns over £500,000, says that with most retailers now promoting Valentine’s-related items, florists no longer see it as a key date.

He says: “Most florists now treat it as a busy day rather than something that can make or break your year.”