Flower Industry Finds Power in Cooperation

[RJD]

Full story at http://www.cnbc.com//id/25412321?__source=yahoo|headline|quote|text|&par=yahoo, but some highlights:

"This crisis should make us all work smarter," Art Conforti of Beneva Flowers in Sarasota, Florida told the Society of American Florists when it polled its members about how they were coping with gas spikes.

That increasingly means cooperating. "Shops that are on the borderline of your delivery area do not have to necessarily be viewed as a competitor, said Conforti. çš„f we reciprocate, the numbers work out. Efficiency improves, as does your service."

Nearly 50 percent of florists nowadays also are calling ahead to make sure customers are home to receive their gifts, according to a nationwide survey of 600 florists, Stroman said.

釘ecause of our scale and size we are able to negotiate much better rates, so we have reduced our costs for shipping fairly significantly, which has helped mitigate some of the fuel surcharges that all of us direct e-commerce marketers have been hit with over the last six to eight months, says Pitto, who is also director of investor relations.

Most of the companyç—´ floral gifts are handled by a network of independent florists but the firm still directly ships about $70 million worth of flowers.