The dried flower market - France

1.2 Europe, the world's dominant market region

To get an overview of what the dried flower market might look like, let's take a look at the global flower market.The global flower market was worth $**.* billion in ****, and is expected to grow at a strong pace over the next few years: the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of +*.*% over the period ****-****, reaching over $**.* billion in ****.

Flower market value World, ****-****, in billions of dollars CAGR: +*.*% Source: ****

The European market has a strong international presence, with the Netherlands accounting for **% of the global market. However, the Netherlands is more of a transit country than a major producer. In fact, **% of the world's production transits through this country. [***] Nevertheless, they remain Europe's leading producers, in terms of surface area alone cultivated for ornamental flowers, as shown in the graph below. In a distant second place comes France, with **% of the total area dedicated to ornamental plants in Europe. Tied for third place are Italy and Germany, with *% of the area.

Distribution of flower and ornamental plant area in the EU-** Europe, ****, in Source: ****

The value of European flower production is, however, better distributed than cultivated area. The Netherlands has a slightly smaller share, but still leads ...

1.3 The French market

The French dried flower market has been enjoying a revival in recent years, after long being considered outdated. Many factors are behind this new impetus, including the aesthetic aspect of the product, which is finding a clientele in photography and social networks, as well as the French desire for more sustainable consumption, which dried flowers make possible compared with traditional fresh flowers. The size of this market is difficult to assess, as data relating to it is very limited. In order to have at least a global view of the market, we will fall back on INSEE data linked to NAF code **.**Z, which defines "retail trade in flowers, plants, seeds, fertilizers, pets and food for these animals in specialized stores". This aggregate includes the following items:

Retail sale of flowers, potted or cut flowers and floral arrangements, plants and seeds Retail sale of plants, trees and shrubs Retail sale of fertilizers and phytosanitary products Retail sale of pets, pet food and pet supplies

sales trends in the retail market for flowers, plants, seeds, fertilizers, pets and pet food in specialized stores France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: INSEE; INSEE *market forecasts based on average market sales index for the ...

1.4 Foreign trade

In order to establish the level of France's foreign trade in dried flowers, we used the UN Comtrade website under the heading "cut flowers, flowers and flower buds of species used for bouquets or ornaments, dried, dead, blanched, impregnated or otherwise prepared".es, flowers and flower buds of species used for bouquets or ornaments, dried, dead, blanched, impregnated or otherwise prepared". This grouping includes more types of flowers, but they nevertheless give us an idea of the level of French trade in this type of product.

export trends France, ****-****, in millions of dollars Source: ****

The graph above clearly shows a drop in the volume of French exports between **** and ****, from *.** million units to *.** million, a fall of **.*%. Over the following two years, export volumes struggle to recover, remaining timidly at a level of *.** million units in ****, virtually the same as ****.

However, when we look at the evolution of French exports in value terms between **** and **** in the graph below, we observe, on the contrary, a sharp rise in exports in **** compared with the previous year. In fact, **** saw a **.*% increase in the value of French exports compared with ****. This rise was stopped dead in its tracks by ****, when the value ...

2.1 French demand for flowers

Data on dried flowers is extremely limited, as the abundance of data is more likely to be found on plants. In order to obtain figures that might give us some idea of market trends, we're going to track French preferences for flowers in general.

Why do you buy flowers? France, ****, in Source: ****

The graph above shows that birthdays dominate the reasons for buying flowers, followed by Mother's Day, bereavements... Buying for oneself gets only **% of responses, which could mean that almost all flower purchases are made with the intention of giving them as gifts.

How the French buy their flowers France, ****, in Source: ****

The majority of French people buy their flowers directly prepared as floral arrangements. This is followed by self-prepared arrangements with several flower varieties, and lastly by self-prepared bouquets with a single variety.

For nearly half of French ornamental plant consumers, quality and freshness (***) are the most important factors for them. And **% of them spend at least ** euros on their purchases. In terms of customer expectations, buyers appreciate the florist's advice on flower and plant care (***) when putting together a bouquet.

2.2 Internet and social networks: real levers for the dried flower market

After enjoying a moment of glory in the ****s/****s, dried flowers were long considered outdated and tacky. In recent years, however, they've made a comeback. Whether it's decorators who are constantly reinventing themselves, magazine covers or influencers on social networks, several movements have helped bring this trend back into fashion. The advent of social networks and the influencers that go with them has brought about the return of dried flowers. They are widely used as flower crowns, or in interior design, in posts that showcase different lifestyles with aesthetically pleasing photos.

Loes Van Look is a former marketing manager and fashion journalist who has turned into a floral stylist for the "new" generation. She uses the social network Instagram in particular to showcase her floral creations, and currently has no fewer than **,*** subscribers. It was via this medium that her hobby got out of hand. She then created her "Wildflowers and Vodka" brand to promote a real "lifestyle" around dried flowers. According to her, demand is strong and her business is doing very well, proving the shape of this market and the usefulness of social networks. [***]

This trend has really intensified in recent years, with, for example, between **** and ****, according ...

2.3 Demand influenced by environmental constraints

The French are increasingly concerned about the impact of their consumption on the environment. Recent droughts, and in particular those of summer ****, have called into question water consumption in France. Watering plants was one of the many issues raised. In many départements, watering was banned at certain times of the day. Plants and flowers were hard hit by the heat and lack of water. Florists and garden centers were also affected, with some flowers unable to be watered and maintained, impacting business. [***] Dried flowers can be an alternative to fresh flowers, which require considerable maintenance and are not necessarily sustainable in view of the water shortages expected to intensify over the coming years. They don't require water; on the contrary, the concept behind these flowers is that they are drained of all moisture.

What's more, unlike fresh flowers, which have a limited lifespan ranging from a few days to a few weeks, dried flowers enable a set of flowers to be kept for a longer period of time, up to several years. This factor also means that flowers need to be replaced less frequently, making consumption more responsible. The impact of consuming fresh flowers is not limited to water consumption: ...

2.4 Relatively recent demand

evolution of search interest for the term "dried flowers" on Google France, ****-**** Source: ****

As previously mentioned, dried flowers were long forgotten, as they were considered old-fashioned and outdated. In recent years, however, this product has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. A study of google trends data on interest in the search "dried flowers" on the Google search engine reveals that this interest has indeed intensified in recent years.interest has indeed intensified over the last five years, stabilizing after strong growth between **** and ****.

N.B.: this Google Trends index is purely relative: a value of ** means that the number of searches related to this term is half that of a value of ***. A value of *** is the maximum reached for this search topic. Regions where the term "dried flowers" is most searched for on Google France, ****, base *** on the region where the term is most searched (***) Source: ****

The graph above shows that the region where the term "dried flowers" is most searched for is Aquitaine. It is followed by the Pays de la Loire region, then Brittany and Nord-Pas-de-Calais, which battle it out for third place, reflecting a stronger interest in this product in these regions.

3.1 Industry forces and organization

A report by the French Federation of Florist Craftsmen (***) in **** provides information on the characteristics of the sector. Even if florists are not the only players in the dried flower market, they remain a benchmark that can give us an idea of the forces at work in the market.

For example, the FFAF report indicates that there were *,*** florists with at least one employee in ****, and **,*** if businesses without employees are taken into account.

number of florist businesses France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The graph above shows a downward trend in the number of employees in the florist market. In seven years, the number of salaried employees has fallen from **,*** in **** to **,*** in ****, a drop of around **.*%.

Breakdown of **,*** employees by company size France, ****, in % and units Source: ****

The market trend seems to be towards smaller companies, with fewer employees. **.*% of employees in the florist market work for companies with one or two employees. **% are in companies with between * and * employees, and **.*% work in companies with more than * employees.

Breakdown of employees by gender France, ****, in Source: ****

The majority of employees in the florist market are women. This proportion rises to **% for companies with * or * employees. However, it is lower for ...

3.2 The production of dried flowers: precise methods

There are many different ways to dry flowers, but one step is common to all techniques. This step involves choosing natural flowers from the garden. To do this, it's important to know the best time to pick the different types of flowers. Roses and lavender, for example, should be picked immediately after flowering. Hydrangeas and yarrow should be picked at the end of bloom. Flowers are best picked in fine weather, when the air is not too humid and the morning dew has dried. For the bouquet, it's best to choose flowers with strong petals.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of plants that are good for drying:

Lavender Peony Rose Helichrysum Hydrangeas Gypsophila Craspedia Rhodanthus Carthamus Statice Tatarica Thistle Immortelles Lona Marcela Delphinium

Here are the different ways to dry the flowers.

First method for drying flowers

Place a mixture of glycerine and water in a vase, in proportions of **% and **% respectively. As soon as the flowers have absorbed the mixture, move on to the drying phase. The flowers must then be collected in very small batches. It's much more difficult to dry large bouquets. Bouquets are more often formed after the drying stage with several small batches. The next step ...

3.3 Distribution channels

Dried flowers are sold via the same distribution channels as flowers or other plants. Thus, following FranceAgrimer 's ****-**** report on ornamental horticulture, we have determined the main distribution channels for ornamental plants as well as those for vegetable gardens.

Breakdown of plant purchases (***) by channel France, ****, in Source: ****

In terms of volume, florists are the leading distribution channel, with **% of the market. They are followed by garden centers and supermarkets, with **% and **% of the market respectively.

However, the breakdown of purchases by value reveals a very different picture. Garden centres come out on top with **% of purchases, still followed by supermarkets, while florists account for *% of purchases by value, showing a gap of ** points between purchases by volume and those by value.

Breakdown of plant purchases (***) by channel in value terms France, ****, in Source: ****

4.1 Selling price and cost of purchase

As the price of dried flowers is not fixed by regulation, many criteria are taken into account: the size of the bouquet, the type of flowers, the sophistication of the bouquet: the size of the bouquet, the type of flowers, the sophistication of the bouquet... Prices can also vary according to geographical location and the type of event for which the creation is sold (***). Overall, the price range is extremely wide. For a bouquet, for example, prices range from :

**.**€ to **.**€ at Bergamotte **.**€ to **.**€ at Flora jet **.** to **.**€ at Monceau Fleurs

If we focus on a single, standard product, we can nevertheless observe a relative homogeneity on the market. The Pampa flower stalk, for example, is the most popular dried flower:

*.**€ at Pampa Artisanat *.**€ at Maisondumonde *.**€ at Cdiscount *.*€ on Etsy

We've already listed some of the most common types of flowers used in the drying process. Here are some of their prices from the FranceFleurs website:

Lavender (***): €*.** Peony (***): €**.** Helichrysum (***): €**.** Hydrangea (***): €**.** Gypsophila (***) : €**.** Craspedia (***): €**.** Rhodanthe (***): €**.** Carthamus (***): €**.** Statice Tatarica: €**.** Thistle (***): €*.** Immortelles: €**.** Lona (***): €**.** Delphinium: €**.**

Dried flowers, a long-term investment

You might think that dried flowers are more expensive than natural ones, but that's a mistake. Dried flowers generally cost * to ** times more than natural ...

4.2 The Fleurs de France label

This trend advocates a return to local consumption, favoring French or even regional production over imported flowers (***). However, supply is struggling to meet this new demand, with French flower production now accounting for only**% of quantities purchasedwell behind the Netherlands. According to FranceAgrimer, the number of growers fell from *,*** in **** to *,*** in ****.

The made in France label has been introduced, but it involves specifications that are difficult to meet. In the end, the "fleurs de France" label came to the fore, with a simple sales principle: seasonal flowers sold in short circuits. This natural production also aims to reduce toxic substances and CO* emissions caused by transport. A survey by ** millions de consommateursidentified numerous toxic substances.

This trend is not unique to France. Born in England a few years ago, it has also been tried out in the USA, Australia and Italy. Associations such as "Flowers From The Farm" (***) and labels similar to "Certified American Grown" are developing in these countries to signal and promote specific product characteristics.

5.1 Regulations

There are no specific regulations governing the distribution or production of dried flowers, so they are subject to the same regulations as flowers in general.

The florist's trade

Marketing plants and flowers requires specialized technical, commercial and administrative training. The florist's CAP is supplemented by additional training, such as the Brevet de Maîtrise. A florist needs a broad knowledge of horticulture, plant design, sales and marketing. In networks, franchisors offer in-depth training to their franchisees. The premises in which the florist operates must meet safety standards for establishments open to the public. Facilities must also respect the rules governing neighborhood tranquility (***).

Horticultural business

In mainland France, there is a subsidy scheme for investments in horticultural greenhouses. It aims to

Improve the technological level and production capacities of horticultural greenhouses by enabling their modernization or extension. Develop open-air or in-ground soilless production areas for nurseries wishing to invest in projects in line with new market expectations.

If the operator meetscertain conditions(FranceAgriMer pays a subsidy of between **% and **% of eligible costs. For young farmers and new entrants, it is also possible to obtain an additional *%.

At European level, cut flowers belong to the "Live plants and floricultural products" category, andand all ...

6.1 Segmentation

• ROSEDOR
• France Fleurs
• DEXX
• Agora
• Emova Groupe - Monceau Fleur
• Interflora France
• Aquarelle Fleurs
• Florajet
• Flora Nova
• L'agitateur floral