Erfurt (dpa / th) – According to the association, flower shops in Thuringia are worse off in the Corona crisis than the industry in other federal states. While florists are allowed to open their shops in Hesse, for example, during lockdown, the shops in Thuringia would have to remain closed, said Ulrike Linn, Managing Director of the Association of German Florists in the State of Hesse-Thuringia (FDF). “It looks catastrophic in Thuringia,” said Linn. Customers in the Free State could order from flower shops by phone or over the Internet and then pick up the goods on site. But the method is not widely accepted.
According to the South Thuringia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, around 75 percent of dealers there make use of such pick-up offers, which is how they currently generate 30 percent of their regular sales. “This by no means covers the costs of the flower shops,” said the IHK Südthüringen. Florists in particular were among the target group for funds from the Thuringian interim financing until the bridging aid from the federal government is available.
According to Linn, florists who specialize in event equipment also suffered enormously from the fact that there have been no trade fairs, larger wedding celebrations or similar events for a long time due to the Corona rules.
For the all-important Valentine’s Day business on Sunday, Linn hopes customers will order bouquets from their local flower shops. Linn sees a distortion of competition because supermarkets are allowed to open. Some were aggressively promoting Valentine’s Day arrangements and bouquets. “And at prices that florists couldn’t even buy,” says Linn.
She sees an advantage of ordering in local shops in that individual customer requests can be met. That is not possible with standardized goods at the supermarket checkout. The industry is now hoping that the Thuringian flower shops will be able to open at least on Women’s Day on March 8th. “The date is traditionally very important for business in East Germany,” says Linn.
In 2018, according to Linn, the FDF Hessen was expanded to include Thuringia. The association currently has a little less than 50 members in Thuringia. Overall, however, there are significantly more industry companies in the Free State. In East Thuringia alone, there are 214 companies specializing in the retail trade of flowers and plants, according to the IHK there. There are also eight garden centers and 23 companies that grow ornamental, indoor and balcony plants or make flower arrangements. The IHK Südthüringen also sees florists as an important area of the domestic economy with 145 flower shops in its district.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210211-99-391703 / 3
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