CASE STUDY: THE GARDEN OF OXFORD

Sector: Florist – Bricks and Mortar Shop and online retail outlet.

Product: British Dried Flowers

Aim: To provide a range of high quality British grown dried flowers to be sold in-store.

THE CLIENT

The Garden of Oxford, founded in 1984 within Oxford’s iconic Covered Market, has garnered an esteemed reputation as one of the premier flower shops in the region.

The enduring partnership with LSF Wholesale traces its origins back to the 1980s, when The Garden of Oxford’s owner Paul Birtles, would personally drive to the LSF farm and fill his large van with boxes of British grown dried flowers to sell from his busy shop. In the aftermath of the Laura Ashley era, the demand for dried flowers experienced a decline and the selection made available for customers at The Garden of Oxford was significantly reduced.

Following the partial hiatus from dried flowers, our collaboration was recently reignited. The reintroduction of dried flowers into The Garden of Oxford’s offerings was met with an enthusiastic response from their clientele, cementing our enduring and fruitful partnership with one another.

WHAT THEY WANTED

The Garden of Oxford wanted to offer a diverse selection of British grown dried flowers in addition to their fresh floral bouquets. They are committed to sourcing flowers as sustainably as possible, prioritising in-season fresh flowers and dried blooms when available.

The team at The Garden of Oxford aimed to provide their customers with a broader array of styles and purchase options, including single bunches and pre-made arrangements that seamlessly integrate into their shop.

Due to their increasingly busy schedule, they enlisted LSF Wholesale to handle the delivery of these products to Oxford, making them ready for distribution within their shop.

WHAT WE DID 

Through a collaborative effort, LSF successfully delivered the finest quality British dried flowers to Paul and his team, accommodating both their physical store and online retail platform.

In their commitment to serving a wide range of customers, LSF not only provided single bunches but also introduced pre-prepared ready for retail bouquets elegantly wrapped in kraft paper, available for purchase as complete dried flower arrangements.

This strategic offering allowed the team to redirect their focus towards other critical aspects of the business, thereby optimising their time and sales potential.

In response to the substantial order volumes received from The Garden of Oxford, LSF have implemented pallet shipments. Our LSF Wholesale dispatch team, in close coordination with our dedicated Account Manager, Hannah, diligently packages these orders and oversees their delivery, directly to The Garden of Oxford’s premises.

WHAT THEY SAID

“For a number of years we have been aware of a resurgence in demand for dried flowers, and interestingly, that the demand we experienced was largely fuelled by a younger demographic than was the case in the eighties. This gives us great confidence in the future for our dried flower sales. We see a bright future in selling dried flowers in bunches, as mixed bouquets, and also for weddings.

While we have been able to source some dried flowers from Holland and Italy, we have longed for a more sustainable supply – notable British grown flowers, and yearned for the days when we would fill our van with dried flowers from our friends in Shropshire.

It was something of a eureka moment when we recently discovered that the wonderful people at Lynn South Farm were not only still growing their wonderful dried flowers, but that they were operating a flourishing wholesale business under the LSF banner.

We have been delighted with the selection and quality of the flowers that LSF have supplied us with, and also with the excellent customer service from the friendly team there. Our orders have been packaged and dispatched promptly, and the online buying process has been most efficient.

We feel that we have renewed a friendship that began many years ago – long may our collaboration continue.” – Paul Birtles, owner of The Garden of Oxford

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