Business Profile: H.Watts Florist

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29th October 2019

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29th October 2019

Published by on 29th October 2019

Most of us tend to forget the local businesses we have right on our doorstep in Plymouth. When it comes to flowers we opt to go online to order as it’s ‘more convenient’ for our busy working lives and a ‘cheaper’ option. But what is cheap when it comes to flowers? Would you rather spend your money on a bouquet from a website or hand pick fresh flowers yourself giving it that personal touch? Whether you’re after a bouquet for a friend who lives in London, a beautiful display of wedding flowers or a surprise for your partner on Valentine’s day; H.Watts Florist are on hand to help!

Oreston village is home to a close knit hub of businesses, one of those being H.Watts Florist. We caught up with owner of the successful florist Sally, who tells us about the history behind H.Watts Florist, what services they provide and what their plans are for the future.

H.Watts Florist is situated at the centre of Oreston Village and has been serving Plymouth and the surrounding area with extravagant floral designs since 1952. The florist the longest-standing business in the area and has run in the same family since being founded by Harry Watts in 1952.

Sally has always worked as a florist, starting her first job as a florist at 14 years old in Exeter where she grew up. Her move to Plymouth when she married saw her start working at H.Watts Florist, having worked there for 20 years, she is now the owner of the successful shop and is continually growing from strength to strength.
Taking over ownership of the florist wasn’t initially on the cards for Sally when previous owner Tom decided to retire in 2013. However, after some persuasion from her husband, she took a leap of faith and has been running the florist for 6 years now.

Running a business isn’t easy but Sally takes it in her stride and pushes business every direction possible. H.Watts Florist cater for all occasions from corporate events, birthdays, anniversaries and weddings to more regretful circumstances such as funerals.

No job is ever too big or small for Sally and her team.

The team at H.Watts Florist consists of 3 florists and 1 apprentice florist who create spectacular floral displays and 3 delivery drivers who spend their days delivering the amazing flowers to customers across Plymouth city centre and within a 10-mile radius of the city.

H.Watts Florist source their flowers from Holland where the majority of flowers worldwide are shipped from, however Sally buys locally grown flowers when possible. The seasons changing means that there’s never a dull moment as a florist with new trends constantly appearing.

When it comes to seasonal flowers, Sally explains “I like the seasons changing and we try and encourage people to have seasonal flowers as much as possible, but if they want a particular flower that’s out of season we can get that from them”

The business year never ends for H.Watts Florist with Christmas, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s day being the busiest occasions of the year and wedding season keeping the shop busy in between.

Sally tells us that they have a close relationship with the other businesses in the village of Oreston. “We have a strong village atmosphere where we always support each other.”

Over 60 years in business has enabled H.Watts Florist to build a strong reputation in Plymouth and their huge stock of flowers puts them ahead in the market.

When asked about the future of the business, Sally explains – “I’d like to see it still as a family-owned business and still serving the local community. I’m not the normal businesswoman who wants millions of pounds. I’m just happy having a little flower shop, doing what I love”

The florist has had huge success over the years with word of mouth from customers helping grow business day by day. And now Christmas is around the corner, business is picking up rapidly for Sally and her team. They are running wreath making workshops in the weeks leading up to Christmas that are in high demand from the people of Plymouth.

Sally has a clear passion for floristry and providing a personal, reliable and friendly service to the locals in Oreston and the wider population of Plymouth.

To find out more about H.Watts Florist, their prices and more about their workshops head to www.hwattsflorist.co.uk, call the shop on 01752 403617 or pop into the shop to chat with a member of the team.