Dear customer,
At the start of this new decade, we are introducing various innovations at Floréac. For example, we have updated the order form at our online store. And recently we also introduced an overview of our highest scoring products on Instagram and Pinterest. That will keep you up to date with the most popular trends in 2020.
However, you are bound to encounter a few ‘old friends’ in this magazine as well. Our ‘supplier in the spotlight’ section, for example: Plantor – which grows perennials using in-vitro propagation – is the first to be featured this year. We also take a sneak peek at Easter, where the fresh colour palette will make you long for the first days of spring.
Another tradition that we are honouring is the presentation of new themes. For example, trendwatcher Manuel Rucar reveals the hottest trends for 2020. Glass & Root is another favourite this year. Not only do these plants look super hip in their glass vases, they are also virtually indestructible. Hanging plants in the bathroom will capture the hearts of plant lovers as well. And anyone who wants to make a statement can go for the powerful combination of black and white. It’s clear: 2020 promises to be an exciting year!
Enjoy!
P.S. You will find all the themes and the associated POS material at our online store: www.floreac.shop/.
GLASS & ROOT
The easiest houseplant ever. These four words perfectly summarise the ‘Glass & Root’ trend. The name speaks for itself: the roots of a plant are immersed in a vase of water, eliminating the need for potting compost. As the plant cannot dry out, it is virtually indestructible and flourishes in almost any room. A must-have for all plant lovers, with or without green fingers.
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TRADE SHOW CALENDAR 2020
• IPM (Essen-Germany) : 28/01 - 31/01
• The Garden Retail Experience : 12/0213/02
• Florall : 3/03
• Royal FloraHolland Seasonal Trade Fair : 11/03 - 12/03
• Royal FloraHolland Spring Fair : 8/049/04
• Florall : 18/08
• Royal FloraHolland Autumn Fair : 9/09 - 10/09
• Royal FloraHolland Trade Fair : 4/116/11
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INSTAFAMOUS AT OUR ONLINE STORE
Did you know that Pinterest and Instagram combined have more than 1.3 billion active users? It’s safe to say that these two social media platforms are incredibly popular. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, users can only post photos and videos on these channels. And as it turns out, people share plants and flowers in their hordes on both networks.
Pinterest and Instagram serve as a great indicator of the latest trends. That’s why our online store now gives you an overview of the hottest products of the moment. An Instafamous list, that we update on a regular basis. This allows you to see at a glance which plants, pots and other interior accessories are most popular.
Source : social-media.co.uk
MOTHER’S DAY
Please visit our website for the full range of this theme.
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Picking up signals from the market and reacting to them at your nursery. This strategy, which Plantor has applied from the outset, is certainly paying off. Carl Vande Maele and Griet Beernaert are the passionate duo in charge of the company: “We always keep a finger on our customers’ pulse, allowing us to deliver top-quality plants all year round.”
“We are constantly adjusting our range and our working methods”
Carl and Griet set up their Plantor nursery in 1996. “From the beginning, we tried to offer something you couldn’t find anywhere else,” says Carl. “Garden centres wanting that little bit extra will certainly find something to suit them here.”
Initially, the range consisted mainly of ornamental shrubs. “As demand has changed over the years, we have gradually switched to a wide range of perennials grown using in-vitro propagation. From hardy geraniums and Heuchera to Vinca and more exclusive flowering bulbs. This season, we will be growing shrubs for the last time. Our range changes year after year. Growing on autopilot is quite simply not what we do.”
Responding to changing market demands
Although the range may change considerably, Carl
and Griet always grow in two-litre pots. “This gives the plants more room to grow and increases their shelf life. This pot size is also fairly standard in the UK, our largest sales market. That was the key to focusing entirely on this pot size.”
Plantor keeps a close eye on changing market preferences. “For example, the super-sleek look – which was very popular for a number of years – has now given way to natural colours and organic shapes. Especially in the United Kingdom, pale colours are doing remarkably well. We are therefore trying to respond to this demand, even though the imminent Brexit is creating great uncertainty about export agreements. As a result, we are also tapping into other markets, including France. We’re trying not to put all our eggs in one basket.”
Sharing expertise
Not only do Carl and Griet tailor their range to the market, they also adjust their processes on an ongoing basis. “Sustainability has become an obvious requirement in our sector. After the dry summer of
partnership this year. We and four other horticultural nurseries help each other in the areas of production, sales, environmentally friendly cultivation and knowledge exchange.”
«Floréac’sstrategycloselyresembles ourownDNA.Asaresult, our collaboration has become increasinglyintense.»
CarlVandeMaele,Plantor
2018, for example, we installed an additional water silo with a capacity of 1.3 million litres. In addition, our polytunnels are twin-skinned which considerably reduces the need to heat them. And a few years ago, we set up a partnership with various local growers to combine our transport. That saves a few trucks on the road.”
Plantor also collaborates with fellow growers in other areas. “We joined the BE.plants
Growing collaboration
Customers also provide valuable feedback. “For example, Floréac advised us to switch to carbon-free flowerpots. These suggestions are one of the reasons why we love working with Floréac. They have been a regular customer right from the start. They make clear agreements and focus on trends and innovations such as digitalisation. That is a strategy that closely resembles our own DNA. Our collaboration has
grown steadily and become increasingly intense. It’s very promising for the future!”
company Plantor
location Koolskamp, Belgium
surfce area 1.7 ha outdoor cultivation and 9000 m² covered cultivation
employees Carl, Griet and 1 permanent employee, plus 3 to 4 seasonal workers and students during the summer months
markets numerous European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the UK, Norway, Italy, Switzerland, Austria etc.)
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EASTER
Invite friends and family round for brunch, lunch, ‘dunch’ or dinner and really push the boat out with a stylish Easter table.
At the table your main role is obviously to be the host or hostess. With any luck your uncle, who usually rambles on too often and too long, will be able to restrain himself at this Easter gathering! Flowers and plants steal the show on the table.
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Please
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Please visit our website for the full range of this theme.
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CHLOROSPHERE is a specialized trends consultancy in our industry that survey the consumption and influences of all origins to formalize projections of trends over the coming years. This is an opportunity to have a closer look on these trends with Manuel RUCAR, a trendhunter for CHLOROSPHERE.
Deep dive into the trends of 2020 with CHLOROSPHERE the trends expert.
Based on precise market information and creative influences, the trends published by the firm over the past 10 years have been usefull for companies in their strategic choices. Today the market is experiencing major challenges, unprecedented for the actors that compose it. This is an opportunity to have a closer look on these trends with Manuel RUCAR, a trendhunter for CHLOROSPHERE
A changing market?
You have probably noticed that the sales of green indoor plants increases significantly .... and for good reason! ‘Green’ today is seen as the main argument to many of the issues of our society. To the overconsumption of meat, we respond with the vegan movement and even giants of the cooking industry as Weber are interested in offering a communication 100% vegetarian recently. To air pollution, we respond by planting trees. In global warming, we respond by replanting and saving forests ... all the subjects of the moment revolve around the environment and the plant remains the only fence that we have today against the degradation of our quality of life.
For once, historically in our business, the eyes of the whole
planet are turning towards our products: permaculture, hydroponics, depolluting plants, de-stressing, etc. and what is striking to note is that it is mostly younger generations who take up this subject.
The inhabitant of tomorrow, more urban or more rural?
And for the first time in more than thirty years -the same age of garden centers today-, the phenomenon is tending to be reversed: the populations begin to leave the cities to go to the countryside. The search for nature and the gain of a better quality of life are the main arguments. Of course, if cities keep a lot of attractiveness, more and more important new assets prefer to live out of this commercial agitation to reconnect with a more natural lifestyle and ultimately “easier” because off trafic jams, out of stress and where “living together” is much easier. So, in the future, urban dwellers will need more and more of nature in the city and the new rural people will look for plants related to their new way of life: first in fruits and vegetables, but also in plants resistant to drought for example or replanting so-called natural hedges. While our car trips tend to be
more and more challenged, local consumption is growing. These are not just punctual trends, they are truly profound changes in our society, and our sectors of living materials will be able to benefit.
What will it change for the future?
The younger generations arrive with a certain expectation towards the plant. Whether on Instagram accounts with millions of views or in concept stores more and more original, consumption is there. In one year we have counted in Europe, even more opening mixed shops plants + other services (tatoo, hairdresser, coffee, fleas, etc.)
than opening garden centers or florists. Worse, for the first time in years, the area of commercial park DIY and garden, tends to reduce. Today what is sought is authenticity, proximity, meaning and value.
The consumer of tomorrow profoundly changes the way he lives the plant. It goes beyond the object of decoration to be somehow a guardian of our quality of life. It gains value in the eyes of those who welcome them home. It is therefore natural that a new generation of enthusiasts arrives. They are looking for rare or special varieties: monstera deliciosa variegata, zamioculcas raven, begonia maculata ... so much successor to the famous peperomioid pilea. The consideration for the plant changes and to respect it, do not say nonsens. The new consumer is very vigilant at the origin, the production chain, its conditions of production as well. We must play the card of transparency. This is the new standard for tomorrow.
How to be prepared?
In this vogue in the green, of course it will be necessary to opt for a very natural image. In star colour the green will be a safe bet. From leaf green
to malachite green, it’s a shade that fits more and more easily in our interiors. Then, terrestrial colours are sought. For example, raw pigment colours are expected: dark green, dark blue, ocher, purple. From a material point of view, the effects of touch are welcome, which explains in particular the return of velvet decoration. For the
presentation of products, recycled / recyclable pots are expected, if possible with neutral colours. Over-packaging is not recommended, we even see today customers of florists who refuse wrapping papers, in an ecological dimension.
Of course ideally, we should only offer vegan plants, organic, produced locally and without the use of plastic, but we are not there yet. On the other hand, it is essential to give the buyer all the necessary and verifiable information about the product.
We note that the most natural products come out the best, with for example in decoration the ferns that we see everywhere, or in the garden, plants with decorative foliage that start to dethrone the flowering plants. Some new stars appear as the tree fern for example or the tetrapanax.
«Weareenteringanewera anditwillbegreener!»
ManuelRUCAR,CHLOROSPHERE
What collections for 2020?
Nature inspires well beyond the borders of our sector, that is why we will find it very widely in the collections of decoration or ready-to-wear in the spring. The fashion shows are very flowery, encourage brands and retailers to integrate flowers. Then, it will be the time for collections with leaf patterns in deco and for our sector, patterned foliage! Dots, spots, mottles, welts, and camo will be welcome. Observe the commercials and the way major brands communicate, you will see many themes of nature that you should immediately apply to your offer to seduce your customers. We are entering a new era and it will be greener!
Thanks to these new ecological consciousness that are challenging our society, it is a wonderful new air for our jobs. Consummers in seek of nature and authentical products are now focused on plants. Whereas the traditionnal consumer of garden center represent only 11% of the global population on the demographic charts, new consummers from Millenials and Z generations now reprensent 48% of the global population and are aware of the importance of integrating nature and plant in their home. This huge stake of consumption is to be catched with an authentic and natural communication. To help us doing it, trends are one of the best way to renew our markets.
You are a Floreac customer ? So you already are included in the trend process !
By knowing 2 years ahead, the main trends of the market thanks to the trends consultancy CHLOROSPHERE, Floreac is seriously taking into
account the consummer’s aims and the next market evolutions. All the data are included in our sourcing process, our choices with our suppliers and the way we present our collections. For us, it is highly strategical and important to be part of the trends to meet the choices of the consummers and so, help your own business. For now several years, FLOREAC is working with CHLOROSPHERE to integrate trends in each steps of our process to make your choices easier and be always in the mood of the market.
WHAT’S NEW AT THE ONLINE STORE?
In this new section, you will find information about updates, new features or improvements to our online store. First of all, we would like to explain which documents you can consult at the online store and where to find them. Since the end of 2019, it has been possible to retrieve and print invoices and delivery notes yourself.
Log in to the Floreac online store www.floreac.com with your password. You can select the dates.
In the top menu bar, go to “My Documents” Select “My Delivery notes”.
Choose which delivery notes you wish to see by changing the dates (from and to). In the Document column, click on the PDF link to open the PDF of the delivery note and print it if required.
BLACK & WHITE
Do you think black and white is boring? Not at all! This timeless combination is back, not that it ever really went away. Maximum contrast lends character to an interior and ties in seamlessly with the trend for ‘holographics’. This style combines distinctive holographic designs with metallic hues. Plants and potholders in black and white add extra flair. CACTMX-SP321A
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