The freelance florists who make up the Flower Group wanted to join forces so they could support one another, but they didn’t know if their concept would work, so were nervous about committing to a long business lease.  “We mostly specialise in weddings, events, funerals and contract work; we do provide bouquets to anyone who wants one, but as it’s

not the main focus of our business, we didn’t need to work from the high street,” explains Sharon Keeliher of KVS Flowers.

With daily deliveries from Holland, they did need somewhere with plenty of off-road parking for the Dutch lorries that arrive late at night and early in the morning.  The solution was a workshop at the Laurence Industrial Estate: “It’s the perfect place.  We moved in in December 2015; the unit was a blank canvas so we were able to set it out as we needed it, and the flexibility of the monthly contract has enabled us to trial our idea without worrying about onerous leases.”

Having proved the concept, The Flower Group now aims to become a well-respected, all-round flower centre: “We don’t just want to be known as wedding florists; we’d like to build a reputation as a support centre for other independent florists and freelancers.  They would also have the option of renting a unit on Laurence Industrial Estate for as short or as long a period as needed.”

This flexibility to scale up and down is extremely attractive for the floristry industry: “We have big fluctuations in seasonal demand: Christmas is usually pretty good, Valentine’s and Mother’s Day are the busiest times and we could need more space even just to store ready-made bouquets or flowers.  The wedding season can last from March through to October, and a lot of brides now want more props as well as flowers, which means we have to be able to store them.  The events side also creates storage demands – everything from giant trees to wreaths which are 9 foot across. 

We have already run out of room in our workshop, so for Valentine’s we will be looking to rent another unit, but only on a month-to-month basis.  The great thing about the Laurence Industrial Estate is that we have the ability to do that, which is fantastic for an industry with such wide variations in seasonal demand as the flower trade.”

If you’ve got a business idea you want to trial without committing to long contracts, or work in an industry with wide seasonal fluctuations, our easy-in, easy-out business accommodation could be the solution you’re looking for. 

To find out how Capital Space business premises could benefit your growing business,

call 0800 107 3667