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3/15/09

azstarnet.com/EU-Digest: Cut Flowers: Sales, imports of flowers way down - by Dan Sullivan

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Cut Flowers: Sales, imports of flowers way down - by Dan Sullivan

"Flowers are the last thing people want to buy compared to rent, food and electricity," she said. "I knew Valentine Day was going to be extremely, extremely slow because of how awful my Christmas sales were." Flower shipments from Ecuador to the U.S. are down 23 percent so far this year in what is normally peak season. Exports from Colombia of air freighted roses, carnations and other flowers also may be down, but officials there say it's too early to say for sure.

Note EU-Digest: The average American buys about $ 31 worth of cut flowers at retail a year. Compared to the Dutch, who buy an average of about $ 72 worth of cut flowers at retail a year, that is fairly low. Total sales of flowers at retail in the US is about $ 8880 million per year. Nearly 10 percent of all flowers sold in the US, come from the Netherlands. With a 52 percent share, florists are still the main retail outlet for cut flowers. Supermarkets account for 26% of all cut flower sales. The American East Coast and the area surrounding Chicago are the most important areas for Dutch flower imports. Over 66 percent of all Dutch cut flower imports arrive in these two areas. Some 83 million Americans live in this area, or approximately 30 percent of the US population. The main import cities for Dutch flowers are: Boston, Chicago. New York, Newark (New Jersey)

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