What should I check before buying a florist?

Sales come in waves, the product spoils, and the skill of one or two designers can define the shop. Standard checks on the books and the lease still apply, but several questions belong to flowers specifically. Use these to shape your visit and your list of requests.

Where the sales come from

Ask the seller to split revenue by source: customers walking in, regular accounts, holidays, weddings and events, and orders arriving by phone, website or a wire service. A shop that depends on a few peak dates behaves very differently from one with steady weekly accounts. Ask to see the busiest and quietest weeks side by side.

Perishable stock and waste

Flowers have a short life, so ask how stock is ordered, how much is thrown out and how that is recorded. Look at how the shop prices and sells ageing stock. Poor tracking can hide losses in the cost of goods. Ask your accountant to read the inventory and cost records with that in mind.

Cooler, van and equipment

The cooler is the shop’s most important machine. Ask for its age, its service history and whether it is owned or leased. Do the same for the delivery van and for any design tools. Have a refrigeration technician look at the cooler, since a failure in the middle of a holiday week is costly and hard to fix in a hurry.

Designers, lease and street presence

Find out who creates the arrangements and whether the customers ask for them by name. If the owner is the main designer, plan a handover and talk to the staff. Check the lease terms and how visible the shop is to foot traffic, since a florist relies on both. The buyer due diligence checklist covers the general review.