SAF panel to explore new revenue streams

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A surprisingly wide range of gift and home decor items — candles, scarves, jewelry, lotions and even gourmet coffee — are flying off shelves and creating fresh revenue for some enterprising floral businesses today. Industry members can get a sense of the possibilities and pick up practical tips for their own product line expansions during the session “New Lines, Big Profits. Options in Giftware and More” at SAF Phoenix 2013, SAF's 129th annual convention.

Florists Kaitlin Radebaugh of George W. Radebaugh & Sons, Inc., in Towson, Md., and Steve Neubauer of Neubauer’s Flowers, in Uniontown, Pa., join wholesaler Tom Figueroa of Nordlie, in Flint, Mich., for the panel presentation. They’ll talk about their hottest add-on items, why they brought them on board and how to locate interesting products when attending the gift shows isn’t an option. They’ll also share merchandising tips to boost both online and in-store sales, and they’ll explain some of the tricky parts of line extensions — like developing a well balanced mix and how to tell the difference between a trendy product with staying power and a fad item that won’t be popular for long.

SAF Phoenix 2013 takes place Sept. 18-21 at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Ariz. For program details and to register visit the website, download the brochure or contact SAF’s Laura Weaver, lweaver@safnow.org, 800-336-4743.