FLORAL PATTERN

ROSEANNE HARPER

COMMACK, N.Y. -- When King Kullen Grocery Co. picked floral to set the tone at a new store here, it left nothing to chance.

As a result, the department is smack in front of customers as they enter; stuffed with upscale gift items, such as collectible dolls and hand-dipped beeswax candles; and staffed by a crew of knowledgeable associates to help customers with their selections.

The new section here also marks the first time at the 48-unit, Westbury, N.Y., chain that floral has branched out as a department unto itself. It is even physically separated from the produce department. And in yet another King Kullen first, the department here is a full-service shop, which means virtually everything is done on the premises.

Cut flowers, for example, arrive in dry packs from farms, via a wholesaler, and are prepped, cared for and made into arrangements at the store by the full-time designer and her staff.

The strategy is to set this floral department apart from its competition at other supermarkets, and even enable it to take on neighborhood, stand-alone florists. That goal has pushed staffing high on the priority list, officials at King Kullen said.

"We portray ourselves as being very service-oriented," said Tom Cullen, vice president, government and industry relations; and with the full-service floral department as the first element in the store, "it's right there, really part of the entrance."

Lesa White, the chain's floral coordinator, said the department's full-service status "allows us to create our own look."

Other King Kullen units bring their floral items in from designers, already arranged, White explained. But here, because cut flowers are prepared and put together at the store, both the quality of the flowers and the look of floral arrangements are more distinctive.

White joined King Kullen a year and a half ago, after a stint with Associated Grocers of Seattle where she helped launch a wholesale floral department.

She recruited a full-time manager/designer for the Commack unit who has had years of experience with a local, well-known florist that is a favorite with Long Islanders planning weddings and other events.

"I knew I needed someone who not only knows about flowers, but also has retail and marketing experience and is a qualified designer. I wanted someone who knows how to buy, mark-up, make gift baskets, cross merchandise and can train," she said.

The service, the look, the product mix, and the quality of the product all play a role in floral sales here. And the department's volume is double that of King Kullen's next-most-successful floral department in a Huntington, N.Y., unit.

In fact, full-service here has been so successful that another full-service floral department was launched yesterday in a remodeled King Kullen in Lindenhurst, N.Y.

The full-service quality of the department also has boosted profits substantially by reducing shrink, White explained. A staff of two to three on duty from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. -- plus a floater brought in occasionally from another store -- can take the time to care for the flowers properly.

Also, her staff at this store has the experience to spot an subpar product and reject it, White said. Using proper, initial care can help spot a flower, for instance, that's not going to open.

She also explained how customer education comes into the picture.

"It's up to the associate to tell customers about flowers. People have a misconception that they should buy a bud [instead of an open flower] because they think it's fresher, but the that bud may never open," White said.

Her staff revitalizes products in many ways, such as drying flowers and making potpourri, and repotting and flocking plants that have begun to dry out.

Her maxim, she said, is "Make something else out of it," if a product is getting dried edges or is showing other signs of age. They can be trimmed, reshaped and still be a quality product.

Since the store opened last month, shrink has been kept to under 10% in the department here. That may not be so much below the national average of 10% to 12%, but it's extremely good for a new store, White pointed out.

Even with a full-time staff, a lot of work, and a lot of training, net profits are up in floral at this store compared with those at other units, White said. She declined to say by how much, but answered, "Quite substantially."

And then there are those high-margin gift items. At this store, 60% of the floral product mix is high-end gift items. That compares to other King Kullen units where only 10% is hard goods. In the first three weeks the store was open here, the floral department sold 22 collectible dolls, retailing for $22 to $70, White said.

The margin is especially big because King Kullen's buying power enables it to get the products at a much lower cost than a corner florist could get them, she said.

For example, an upscale plush bear that she's retailing for $47.99 cost King Kullen hardly half of what it would cost a stand-alone florist shop, she said.

The full-service department here and the next few on schedule for launching will serve as mini training centers, White said. At this store, she schedules part-time associates to work a shift that overlaps hers or her full-time designer/manager's, so they get hands-on training every day.