July 8, 2024
Summer is quiet — and that's when the care work happens
July and August in the GCC are the slowest months for flower retail. We use them differently — visiting wholesalers in Holland, training the team, and building the relationships that pay off in November.
Why summer is quiet
Most of our retail customers are away. Schools are out, families travel, weddings are paused. Our hotel contracts continue but at lower volume. The shop is calmer than it's been since January.
What we do with the time
- Holland trip. Two of us spend a week at the Aalsmeer wholesale auction in late July, building relationships with growers we'll buy from in autumn and winter. Better stock starts here.
- Team training. New techniques (mechanics, handcraft, foam-free arrangements), wedding-installation drills, hospitality-grade dispatch.
- Wholesaler reviews. We renegotiate with our regular wholesalers — not always for price, often for quality terms (return policy on damaged stock, lead time on standing orders).
- Equipment maintenance. Cooler service, vehicle service, packaging audit.
- Editorial photography. This is the calendar moment we shoot the new season's arrangements with proper lighting and proper time.
Subscribers, this is your slow-season tip
If you have a flower subscription, summer is when our team has more time to learn your taste. Tell us your preferences any time you can — what worked, what didn't. We'll calibrate. By autumn the deliveries will be sharper.