Forest
of Flowers® was founded in London, Ontario in 1996 by Wayne
and Judy Watson. Wayne brought to the business a successful
career in retail management, including executive positions in
charge of operations and franchising with two national retailers.
After operating a florist shop in Western Canada, Wayne and
Judy believed they could create a better way to make floral
retail stores work.
By eliminating local wholesalers and buying most of their fresh
cut products directly at source from South and Central America,
Forest of Flowers® offered a unique and compelling value
positioning to their customers – field fresh, high quality
flowers at better prices than competing florists. Large, fully
stocked walk-in coolers displayed a broad assortment of flowers
while preserving their freshness and quality. Almost from the
beginning, the new Forest of Flowers® retail format exceeded
their expectations.
Today Forest of Flowers® has grown to become the leading
floral retailer in London with 8 convenient locations and a
20% share of market. Market share and sales growth have continued
through the recession, with sales 14% above previous year in
the most recent quarter.
After 14 years of nourishing the Forest of Flowers® brand,
Wayne and Judy have now created Forest of Flowers Franchise
Corp. to replicate their successful business model on a larger
scale. Their franchise management team, with more than 100 years
of senior management experience, is now poised to take the franchise
system and the Forest of Flowers® brand to new heights.
