Ethical florist and online gifting business Arena Flowers is somewhat of a well-kept secret. “When people find it, they love it – we genuinely have such evangelical support for [the brand] from our customers,” says CEO John Hackett. “But people stumble onto it.”
However, the company has just announced its acquisition of the well-known D2C plant brand Patch Plants and has plans to grow further by merging with other like-minded brands, as well as by making its bespoke e-commerce and fulfillment platform, Hyperion, more widely available.
Like many delivery-oriented and remote gifting businesses, Arena Flowers experienced a sharp increase in demand during the pandemic: Hackett describes the business’ growth as “So hockey stick, it was just crazy.” While the growth was ultimately sustainable, it was also “deeply uncomfortable” to undergo.
In a fortunate quirk of timing, the business had just relocated to a much larger processing facility, something that was traditional during the 10 to 12 weeks of peak demand encompassing Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, after which Arena’s teams would normally move back to their home base in Milton Keynes.
Read more at econsultancy.com
