Newark, Del. Expanding on the successful Floral Holiday Market Watch report
series, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) released this week the first-ever
Thanksgiving Holiday Market Watch, providing market data on the 2009
Thanksgiving holiday for the supermarket floral industry.
The addition of the Thanksgiving report to PMAs Floral Holiday Market Watch
series expands the associations ability to provide seasonal market data and
analysis to track industry sales trends for major floral holidays, including
Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter and Mothers Day.
These one-of-a-kind reports are created from surveys of both retailers and
suppliers, making them a valuable tool to anyone dealing with floral, said
Michael Schrader, director of floral at Schnucks Markets. The 2009 Thanksgiving
Week Floral Market Watch survey was sent to over 300 floral suppliers and buyers
immediately after the holiday. Both the breadth and specificity of this
information is unprecedented.
The Thanksgiving report provides data on the effect of the economy on sales and
product mix, mention of specific problems related to the holiday, an overview of
category performance, and expert recommendations for increasing floral sales
based on the report data. The survey data for the 2009 Thanksgiving Market Watch
was analyzed by Sandy Hering of Floral Marketing Innovation, who has more than
30 years of experience in floral marketing.
These reports provide a benchmark for companies to compare their holiday
performance against the balance of industry, said Augusto Solano, president of
ASOCOLFLORES/Colombia. Land of Flowers, sponsor of the reports since 2009. This
enables them to make timely decisions and plan strategically based on an
informed position. Were excited to help make this information available on a
continuing basis.
New to the Thanksgiving Market Watch report is a look at the average value of
floral merchandise sold as well as an analysis of the percentage of store
customers shopping in the floral department.
The wealth of insight into floral buying behavior, emerging trends and consumer
buying habits available in this and the other reports in the series will
certainly help suppliers and retailers alike better recover from the downturn in
our business and develop future opportunities, said Jairo Cadavid, director of
marketing and communications for ASOCOLFLORES/Colombia. Land of Flowers.
The additional upcoming reports in the floral series and their tentative
publication dates include:
- Christmas Floral Holiday Market Watch, week of March 8;
- Valentines Floral Holiday Market Watch, week of April 2;
- Easter Floral Holiday Market Watch, week of May 21;
- Mothers Day Floral Holiday Market Watch, week of June 25; and the
- 2010 Thanksgiving Floral Holiday Market Watch, week of Jan. 19, 2011.
PMAs floral members have come to watch for these reports, said Schrader. The
indispensible information contained in each one of these reports and their
ongoing collective value as a series will be beneficial to any future business
planning.
Access to the PMA Thanksgiving Floral Holiday Market Watch, as well as the other
holiday reports, is online and free of charge to PMA members. For more
information, visit www.pma.com/floral or contact PMAs Becky Roberts via e-mail
at broberts@pma.com or by phone at 302-738-7100.
Editors Note: Media wishing to report on Floral Holiday Market Watch report
findings can request to receive a copy of the report from Nancy Ferguson by
email at nferguson@pma.com or via telephone at +1 (302) 738-7100. Report content
can be referenced and/or excerpted, with accreditation given to PMA; the report
in its entirety cannot be reproduced, posted, emailed or otherwise further
distributed.
About Produce Marketing Association (PMA)
Founded in 1949, the Produce Marketing Association is the leading trade
association representing nearly 3,000 companies from every segment of the global
produce and floral supply chain. Members rely on PMA year round for the business
solutions they need to increase sales and consumption, build strong professional
relationships, and expand their business opportunities. For more information,
visit www.pma.com.
Source: Produce
Marketing Association