Flower Merchants Love Valentine’s Day

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Valentine’s Day arrived with the usual boost in flower sales, both locally and in the export market, requiring Ethiopian Airlines to give the exporters two additional cargo flights a week for the past two weeks.

For the local sellers, the boost could amount to as much as a month’s sale in ordinary days. Biniam Takele, in business for the past two years, normally sells 150 stems a day from his shop located around the Ambassador Theatre area on Ras Desta Damtew Street.

The week before Valentine’s, his daily sale started averaging at 4,000 stems. Others, such as Melese Geleta, who has a shop near Bole Brass, and Kassu Kokebe, a little way off around Bole Medhanialem, have a daily average of 5,000 pieces, up from 500 and 200 pieces, respectively.

A single stem costs these people 1.5 Br at normal days, going up to 3.5 Br. Their usual selling price, after they have decorated it, is three to four Birr. As Valentine’s Day approached, it increased to six to 10 Br. On Valentine’s Day prices were up to 20 Br in some places, although the cost of the decorations used, such as sprays and ribbons, somewhat reduces the profit they make.

The biggest business was, however, for the flower growers that are involved in the export market. Read more at Addis Fortune