Florist business plan template

Executive Summary

Activity

A Plant A Day will be a florist located near the Place Saint Sauveur in the city of Caen, France.

A Plant A Day will have a traditional range composed of selections of prepared bouquets, indoor plants and accessories. We will also offer a selection of cut flowers allowing customers to compose their own bouquets. We will also offer one hour workshops to teach customers how to care for their plants.

Located at 23 Place St Sauveur in Caen, A Plant A Day will be ideally situated between the town hall and the castle of Caen.

The neighborhood is particularly popular with young working people with its bars and restaurants, but also with families and seniors thanks to its local shops such as butchers, hairdressers, tobacconists, etc. The arrival of a florist will complete the range of local shops in the street and thus enhance its attractiveness.

The proximity of the St Sauveur market, a food market that takes place every Friday morning, will allow A Plant A Day to benefit from additional activity on weekends.

A Plant A Day is a limited company run solely by David M.

The company will be managed by David who holds a certificate in floristry and a Master's Degree in Floral Art, and has more than 7 years of experience in the field of flower sales.

David will be assisted by Valérie, an experienced florist, who holds a floristry diploma and has 2 years of experience working for a well-known franchise in the region.

Market Overview

After a difficult period between 2010 and 2013, with a 6% decline in sales, the French flower market stabilized with a turnover close to two billion euros.

Sales are divided into several major categories:

• Indoor flowers (31.5%)
• Green and flowering indoor plants (30%)
• Funeral flowers (16.5%)
• Flowers and outdoor plants (13%)
• Product outsourcing (7.5%)
• Decoration items (1.5%)

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Customers buy flowers for different reasons. However, more than 50% of purchases are related to events (birthdays, funerals, invitations, parties, etc.), while pleasure purchases represent 29% of sales.

There are 14,913 florist companies in France, 57% of florists are women while 43% are men.

French Market

In terms of figures, the average turnover per company is estimated at €130,450 before tax with a gross margin of 55%. The majority of flower retailers have less than 3 employees.

With an average age for company managers between 47 and 49 years old, a significant number of retirements are expected in the next ten years.

On the demand side, the average customer for florists can be profiled by the following: they reside in homes, are between 45 and 57 years of age and enjoy a comfortable income. Customers are generally females whom purchase flowers anytime of the year.

We also note the emergence of a new segment of clients, that of ‘millennials’ more often wishing to surround themselves with house plants and flowers with aims to improve their mental well-being. These customers buy less regularly, however the numbers are growing.

Customers are often looking for the advice and expertise offered by a reputable florist, whose main selling points increasingly settle upon their passion and knowledge for floristry.

Local Market

According to the latest INSEE report, Caen had 103,830 inhabitants in 2019, a slight decrease compared to previous years.

We have identified the following customer segments in the local market:

• Occasional customers: their purchases are generally for a specific occasion such as a birthday, funeral, Mother's Day, wedding anniversary, Valentine's Day, etc. They visit the florist 2 to 6 times a year.
• Connoisseurs: these are looking for flowers and plants they don't know and will be able to add to their collection. They are above all looking for novelty and advice. They visit the store regularly up to 10 times a year.
• Traditional customers: these customers want a close relationship with their florist and need advice. Their purchases concern both occasions and pleasure purchases. Their visits vary from 6 to 8 times a year.

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Competition

Direct competition

Florists in Caen are mostly located in the city center, three competing florists are located near the Place St Sauveur:

• Rouge Pivoine (independent)
• Au Lilas Blanc (franchisee interflora)
• Cameo Flowers (independent)

We expect strong competition with these florists whose shops are comparable in size to ours.

However, we believe that A Plant A Day will be able to differentiate itself and make its place on the local market, thanks to our prime location next to the market on Place St Sauveur, and our innovative selfservice offer for a personalized bouquet.

Indirect competition

We will also be in indirect competition with :

• Supermarkets: Monoprix & Carrefour City, which notably offer bouquets of cut flowers at low prices, but they have a limited choice and do not offer the same quality of service and advice.
• Garden centers: Bavent garden centres and Jardiland offers a wide choice, however the centre can only be reached if you drive.
• Online florists: we think we can differentiate ourselves from them thanks to our artisanal know-how, face-to-face approach to advising customers, and our home-delivery offer.

Financial Highlights

We expect A Plant A Day to be profitable from the first year of operation.

In Year 1, we expect to achieve sales of €188,340 and EBITDA of €13,457 (i.e. 7.15% margin).

We anticipate an improvement in sales in the following years, with growth of 3.64% in year 2 and 3.00% in year 3.

In total, we expect to achieve €201,040 in sales and €19,467 in EBITDA (i.e. 9.68% margin) in year 3.

The gross profit margin should remain constant at around 56.00% over the duration of the plan. The improvement in EBITDA margin is mainly due to better absorption of fixed costs following the increase in sales.

We expect positive cash generation throughout the plan. Cash flows generated by the business should be sufficient to cover loan repayments while maintaining a headroom to deal with unforeseen events.

Our Ask

Our initial financing requirement amounts to €85,000. The sole partner, David M., will personally contribute a sum of €30,000 (35% of the total), and we would like to obtain a loan for the remaining €55,000.

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