FLORIST AWARDS
Congratulations to the 2012 Florist of the Month Award recipients.
February Florist of the Month winner - Florist with Flowers
First time entrant and with over 37 years cumulative experience working in the floristry industry, husband and wife team Emmra and Julie Aydin took a leap of faith, and last May, opened the doors of their very own business.
Fast forward one year later, and this dynamic duo has just picked up the Sydney Markets Florist of the Month award for February, acknowledging excellence in customer service, environment, product knowledge and branding.
No mean feat for a brand new business, but a very worthy win for the Carlingford-based florist, which prides itself on good old fashioned customer service, fresh quality flowers, and value for money.
After initially studying Graphic Arts, Julie fell head over heels for floristry after a short stint assisting a local florist during Mother’s Day. She was offered a job on-the-spot and never looked back. For husband Emmra, his foray into floristry began as a delivery driver for a major florist, which quickly grew to encompass purchasing, logistics and dispatch.
Emmra manages to get out to Sydney Markets around four times a week to purchase flowers, and relishes the early morning atmosphere of the Sydney Flower Market. “In my younger years, my dad used to take us to the fruit markets, we’d go once a week, every Saturday morning at about four o’clock in the morning, and I suppose it just rubbed off. I just love the feeling, that adrenaline rush you get when you’re walking through the market while half of Australia is asleep and you’ve been up for hours and have done half a days work already,” he says.
When asked what advice they would give to other up-and-coming florists in the industry, Emmra believes a little kindness goes a long way. “Be true to your customers. You don’t have to put it on. Just greet them and say ‘Hello, how are you today?’ and you know, they love that! There are so many people out there who just want to have a two-minute chat. It makes their day,” he says.
It’s also the personal touches that set this florist apart from the rest. Small tokens of appreciation, such as the act of giving each child that walks into the shop a helium balloon, just to ‘put a smile on a child’s face’ is key to developing lasting relationships with customers.
Florist of the Month winners are assessed on criteria by a secret shopper program carried out by Sydney Markets. Winners receive a $1,200 advertising package, one-month free entry to Sydney Markets, a $100 gift voucher from proud sponsors A&L Florist Sundries and automatic entry into the Florist of the Year awards.
FLORIST WITH FLOWERS: Shop 104 Carlingford Court Shopping Centre, cnr Pennant Hills & Carlingford Roads, Carlingford NSW 2118 Tel. (02) 9871 1666
Winners of the Florist of the Month awards receive a prize pack which includes:
- $1200 advertising package
- $100 credit from A&L Florist Sundries
- 1 month free entry to Sydney Markets
Florist of the Month award winners are automatically entered into the Florist of the Year award which will be announced at the NSW Flower Growers Ball in October.
Florist of the Month Program
The Florist of the Year Program was established in 2003 by Sydney Markets Limited with the objective to ultimately increase sales of fresh flowers by improving customer service experience at the consumer point of sale (florists).
The program is open only to shop front florists in NSW and ACT who buy from growers operating at the Sydney Flower Market, and aims to encourage regular, consistent buying and ‘best practice’ from participating florists – tools that growers can use to maintain and expand their own businesses. There is no cost to florists and the program is paid for by Sydney Markets Limited.
Participating florists are assessed by professional independent mystery shoppers, who use criteria established through industry-wide consultation. The criteria assess shop appearance, product quality and knowledge, presentation, customer service and merchandising and branding, and feedback is provided to all entrants.
To assist participating florists to grow and develop their businesses, feedback from the Mystery Shoppers are supplied to the florists confidentially.
Awards are presented to florists each month, culminating in two awards being presented for the Metropolitan and Regional ‘Florist of the Year’ being announced at the Flower Growers Group of NSW Annual Dinner Dance. The monthly award recipients receive a promotional media package to the value of $1200, features in the Sydney Markets Leader and Flower Market Newsletter they also receive a month free entry to the Sydney Flower Market and a $100 voucher from A & L Florist Sundries, proud sponsor of the 2011 Florist of the Month Awards.
If you would like further information about the Florist of the Month Program, please contact (02) 9325 6200.
For more information on A & L Florist Sundries, please click here.
Previous Yearly Winners
| Metropolitan Florist of the Year | Regional Florist of the Year |
|---|---|
| 2011 - The Flower Hut | 2011 - Raymond Terrace Florist |
| 2010 - McGraths Hill Florist | 2010 - Waldon's Flower Shop |
| 2009 - Bunch it with Country Florist | 2009 - Flower Bud |
| 2008 - Floriart | 2008 - Fine Flowers |
| 2007 - A Lazy Daisy Florist | 2007 - Fine Flowers | 2006 - The Flower Hut | 2006 - Flowers on the Coast |
| 2005 - Jodie McGregor Flowers | 2005 - Buttercup Florist |