Uncertain economy fails to dampen sales of festive flowers to welcome the Year of the Snake

Festive flowers continue to be a hot seller in Hong Kong despite an uncertain economy, with some customers spending tens of thousands, while florists hope to make a small profit from bulk sales to keep their loyal clientele.

Owner of Choi Lee Garden Kwok Choi-tim told Sing Tao Daily, The Standard’s sister publication, that this year's peach blossoms are blooming on time, with customers actively purchasing flowers, including bank clients placing orders worth HK$100,000 a year in advance. 

However, he expects overall sales to be slightly lower than in previous years, planning to sell only 300 to 400 of the nearly 700 peach trees he cultivated.

Despite costs for land rent, fertilizers and labor rising by about 10 percent, he plans to keep prices stable. 
“Orchid King” Yeung Siu-lung, owner of Chiba Garden Limited, expressed confidence that economic conditions won’t affect sales as Hong Kong citizens highly value festive flowers.

He expects a slight increase of around 5 percent in sales this year and has already received numerous orders, reserving about one-third of his stock for individual, wholesale and corporate customers.

Hong Kong Wholesale Florist Association chairman Sunny Lai Wing-chun anticipates busier Lunar New Year fairs this year, with sales expected to rise by about 10 percent. 

But he expressed concerns that many may choose to travel to the mainland instead of staying in Hong Kong for the long LNY holiday.

Lai noted that transportation and salary costs have increased 10 to 20 percent, but retailers are hesitant to raise prices.

“Florists hope to make a small profit by selling in volume; if prices are too high, they will end up with a lot of unsold flowers, leading to greater losses.”

He added that flower vendors are being cautious with stock purchases due to the uncertain economic outlook, waiting until popular items like narcissus sell out before restocking.

(Cheng Wong)