What started as a one-man band way back in 1975 has grown into a three-location operation, a multi-million-pound turnover and a customer base of nearly 1000 florists around the country ranging from teeny tiny shops in the countryside to the prestigious Claridge’s.
What’s more founder, Tom Brown, who has been joined by his sons, daughter, and nephews, is as hands-on with the buying these days as he was back at the beginning. The difference is he is now buying from every corner of the globe rather than just Holland and the product range stretches into the thousands rather than the hundred or so he started with.
But however big they get EVERY customer still gets the same level of service and then some. Because Tom Brown Wholesale, a state-of-the-art triple unit nestling in a quiet industrial unit in South East London and its sister sites, Marilliam in Huddersfield and The Flower Bank in Carlisle, never forget that without their customers they are nothing.
It’s not easy … dealing with millions of stems a year and making sure the right ones get to the right place at the right time is a logistical challenge.
Which is why they have invested in every know technical system to make it faster and better. Like the headset system that allows the team to Pick and Pack orders in a fraction of the time, the delivery route planner that means their team of drivers can reach the florist shops speedily and safely, and the easy-to-use web shop that allows florists to buy 24/7.
But however techy it all gets, the business is as personal as it’s always been as John Davidson, Tom’s nephew explained: “Every day we deal with emotions which means it must have a heart because we are dealing with heart felt moments. We can have all the same tech as Amazon etc, but this industry is about people – be it our customer’s or their customer’s so needs to be done with feeling. That’s why we are excited to be part of National Florist Day – behind the flowers are dedicated and passionate florists that should be celebrated.”
