Budding Mother’s Day competition as Hong Kong florists prune prices

Crowds flock to Mong Kok market on day before Mother’s Day for colourful bouquets of carnations, roses and other fresh flowers Competition among Hong Kong florists heated up on the day before Mother’s Day as stores slashed bouquet prices and offered more innovative products, with some vendors reporting weaker business and lower profit margins compared with last year. Despite the wet weather on Saturday, vendors at the Mong Kok Flower Market touted colourful bouquets of carnations, roses and other fresh flowers. The price of a medium-sized bouquet at the market ranged from HK$300 to HK$400 (US$38.32 to US$51.10), at least 20 per cent cheaper than last year, when the cost was between HK$500 and HK$700. The competition to make sales was so intense that, starting on Friday, a sea of bouquets stretched across two blocks of the neighbourhood. Kaithley Kam, owner of wholesaler and florist Nam Hing Trading Company, attributed the price drop to tighter budgets. “The macroeconomy has weakened,” she said.

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