"Russians spending less on plants for summer house gardens"

Currently, many people in Russia are enjoying their Easter holiday break and visiting their summer houses outside the city. Often during this break, they decorate their gardens with plants, however, this year it is happening less than normal. "Due to the crisis, people have less money and are therefore spending less on plants, which decreases the demand," says Julia Katrenko of 7Flowers, a Russian distributor of ornamentals. "However, we are just in the middle of the season and we are optimistic that the demand will increase."

Easter in Russia
On May 1st, Easter is celebrated in Russia. Unlike many Western countries, Russia does not celebrate Easter with flowers. "Here, people and flower shops do not make special decorations with flowers, we celebrate it with sweets. However, the demand for outdoor flowers often does increase as many have a week long holiday break after Easter and go to their summer houses outside the city. Then they are often going to decorate their gardens with plants and flowers. Unfortunately, this is happening less this year. People do not have much money to spend due to the crisis. They are now choosing more low-priced, classic and small plants. I think, when comparing this season up to now with other years, the sales might be around 20 to 30 percent less. However, this is just a feeling, I do not know the exact numbers as we are just in the middle of the season," says Katrenko.

No more impulse purchases
Russia is a flower minded country and a lot of plants and flowers used to be bought impulsively. However, because many people are currently dealing with a difficult financial situation, they think twice before they buy something. "Often they know what they want to have before entering a shop," says Katrenko. And the location of the shops might also be a reason for the decrease in impulse purchases. "Several years ago, flowers could be bought at every corner of the street in the city. There were many small flower shops. Now, the sales have moved to supermarkets, specialized flower shops and garden centers. This centralization of the flower sales might have a negative effect on the impulsive purchases," she says.

Optimistic
Even though, the sales might be a bit behind this year, Katrenko is optimistic. "We are just in the middle of the season at the moment and anything can still happen. We think that many people will go to their summer houses this summer vacation instead of traveling abroad because it is cheaper. Hopefully, then they will have more time to decorate their gardens with plants and trees," she says.

For more information
7Flowers
Julia Katrenko
www.7flowers.ru