A look at the Indian ower industry
Buying flowers “off-the-rack” is an emerging trend that the Indian consumer is warming up to
Since this issue is all about emerging trends in lndian lifestyle, particularly in the hospitality segment, it would make sense to highlight another huge phenomenon in the market — flowers. Before that, it is important to set some context — from a socio-cultural point of view, Indians have always been large consumers of flowers. In fact, flowers are an intrinsic and symbolic part of any celebration. However, in most cases, flowers in India have been limited to weddings and religious places like temples or churches. “A couple of years ago, the Indian consumer woke up to the idea of incorporating flowers beyond the context of temples and weddings. Luxury hotels, which were always using flowers, started getting more creative and experimental with flower décor. Event planners, both corporate and wedding, started laying emphasis on specialised flower décor. This has created a whole new market in the flower industry, which is growing exponentially with every season,” says Sunanda Braganza, owner of Mynx Design, high-end decor and event company, specialising in corporate events.
“The Indian floriculture market was estimated to be `157 billion in 2019, with studies suggesting that the market is projected to reach `472 billion by 2024. Despite an average annual consumption of `65 billion worth of flowers per year between 2009 and 2016, India’s floriculture sector remains heavily unorganised. Nearly 85 per cent of all flowers sold in India are by roadside vendors, local florists and itinerant sellers. Online purchases account for less than 1 per cent of the revenue from all flower sales,” says Hariharan Subramaniam, chief executive officer of La Fleur, a new company that is aiming to change the consumption patterns of urban Indians. La Fleur, has now begun stocking major supermarkets in urban India with fresh flowers, so that the average Indian now has access to flowers on a daily basis, in a more organised manner.
To better understand this market,
I get a tour of some of London’s tony neighbourhoods, in the company of Subramaniam, who points out, “In the west, at major supermarkets, consumers can walk in to pick up flowers, or can just add a bouquet to their grocery cart, before checking out. This is exactly what we intend
to do with La Fleur, where Indians can get high-quality flowers to incorporate into their daily life. This could range from simple monochrome bouquets to more elaborate mixed-flower arrangements. After all, we are seeing a large number of Indians actually incorporating flowers into their office spaces and homes, on a daily basis, with no occasion needed. What’s more, in India, we have priced La Fleur bouquets so that you can go from an absolutely affordable one, to a higher-priced one, depending on how much you want to spend.”
From the aesthetic point of view, creating the right kind of bouquet is an art, especially if it is being used to embellish an event space, office or home. To give this nascent “off-the-shelf ” flower market an international edge, La Fleur has signed on the highly-acclaimed UK-based floral designer, Jo Moody, who uses locally-grown Indian flowers for La Fleur bouquets.
I get chatting with London-based Dina Patel, a floriculture industry veteran, working for Indifresh, the largest importer of Indian flowers into the UK, who adds a bit of perspective to this changing space in India. “Lifestyle trends are changing so fast in India. If you wanted to buy flowers, you would have to make your way to a local street florist. Now with a company like La Fleur, consumers have access to bouquets at the supermarket for home use. This can eventually translate into other spaces like offices, restaurants and events.”
For now, La Fleur has established itself in Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru, with bullish expansion plans in other major cities in India. “The key to good distribution is to choose the right partners and to establish a good supply chain,” says La Fleur’s Subramaniam. He adds, “Consumers can buy our bouquets at Godrej Nature’s Basket, Star Market and Big Bazaar outposts across these three cities. And, of course, with our exacting standards of transporting the flowers in right temperature conditions, and even flower food in each bouquet, we ensure that the consumer gets a truly international experience.”
This is only the start of this wave of buying flowers “off-the-rack”. lafleur.in
The Indian floriculture market was estimated to be `157 billion in 2019, with studies suggesting that the market is projected to reach `472 billion by 2024