store profile
Westborn Market:
 Floral in a big way
This Michigan independent entices customers with spacious,
flower-filled departments and excellent service.
by Cynthia L.
McGowan
 Few grocery stores can
dedicate as much as 4,000 square feet and 15 to 25 employees to each of
their floral departments. But family-owned Michigan
independent Westborn Market does so, and that
investment in floral has paid off, with departments that
contribute 12 percent toward company sales and deliver
satisfied repeat customers.
“We have florist quality service at flower market
prices,” explains Jeff Anusbigian, who co-owns the
three-store Detroit metropolitan-area specialty market with his brothers,
Mark and Tony. That means offering
full-service departments staffed by trained designers and
event specialists who can handle every floral need customers
have, from custom designs to weddings and funerals.
huge selection
of flowers
Floral “goes hand in
hand with what we are all about,” says Mr. Anusbigian, who
is responsible for the floral operation. The company began
as a corner fruit stand in 1963 and has grown into an upscale
international market that focuses on providing the best in
fresh for its health-conscious customers, from abundant
local produce to house-baked breads to gourmet,
chef-prepared meals.
Flowers, in their huge space at the front of the
stores, help reinforce Westborn’s commitment to freshness.
“We have probably as many flowers as a regular wholesaler
would have,” remarks Nicole Magewick, floral manager
and event specialist at Westborn Market’s Berkley, Mich.,
location.
Indeed, the gorgeous departments are bursting with
flowers and plants and immediately captivate customers with
a profusion of color. Tables brim with blooming plants,
branches, exotic foliage plants and giftware. In each store,
large custom-built walk-in coolers, designed by
Michigan-based SRC Refrigeration, invite customers to
browse bouquets, arrangements and flowers by the stem. A
separate cooler houses tropical flowers.
Mr. Anusbigian says always having a big volume of
flowers in the departments demonstrates to customers the
company’s commitment to floral, and an added benefit is that
buying in bulk keeps prices low. “We do flowers 52 weeks a
year,” he points out, meaning that Westborn Market doesn’t
gear up just for major holidays; its departments look as
full the day after a holiday as the day before. “When
customers walk into Westborn Market,” Mr. Anusbigian
emphasizes, “they know they’re going to find a ton of
flowers.”
And customers do respond to Westborn Market’s flowers,
as revealed by this patron’s review on Insiderpages.com:
“This specialty grocer has a terrific selection of fruits
and vegetables, ranging from the ordinary to the exotic.
Everything is beautiful and fresh. However, the real reason
I shop here is for the flowers. They have a huge
refrigerated case of fresh flowers, as well as potted blooms
of all varieties. I have found many good deals over the
years, and the quality is always high.”
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westborn market |
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LOCATIONS
Three stores in the Detroit, Mich., metropolitan
area: Dearborn, Berkley and Livonia
OWNERS
Three brothers: Jeff, Mark and Tony Anusbigian
FOUNDERS
George and Janette Anusbigian, the current owners’
parents, in 1963
STORE SIZE
30,000-35,000 square feet
FLORAL DEPARTMENT
SIZE
Average about 4,000 square feet; space dedicated to
floral quadruples in the spring when the outdoor
garden centers open
FLORAL EMPLOYEES
15-25 full and part time in each store, depending on
the season
BIGGEST FLORAL
HOLIDAY
Mother’s Day
FLORAL SERVICES
Full-service florals including custom designs,
weddings, funerals and events; gift baskets;
delivery; and Teleflora flowers-by-wire service
FLORAL’S CONTRIBUTION
TO COMPANY SALES
12 percent
WEB SITE
www.westbornmarket.com |
customer service is a
priority
Keeping customers
like the Insiderpages.com reviewer satisfied is what drives
Westborn Market. “They are the reason we are here,” Mr.
Anusbigian acknowledges. “They are appreciated by us.”
To ensure customers feel that appreciation, Westborn
Market makes service a priority. Although its bulk buying
keeps floral prices low, “We are certainly not sacrificing
service,” Mr. Anusbigian says. “If anything, we ramp up the
service because that’s what sets us apart from all the other
big players in town and the national players.”
Depending on the season, the stores staff more than
two dozen floral employees each (about 10 of whom are full
time), and they all have important roles in providing that
crucial customer service. Each department has a floral
manager, two to three designers, counter helpers, an event
specialist, dedicated delivery drivers and flower
processors. In the spring, floral employees staff the large
outdoor garden operation, which quadruples the space
dedicated to floral.
Turnover among employees is low. “They’re appreciated,”
Mr. Anusbigian explains. “The managers appreciate the
employees and their passion, and that just spills right over
into our customer service.”
Another key to employee retention and success is hiring
floral professionals “who love flowers,” he remarks. “If you
get people who love or at least like what they do, they’re
going to be good at it.”
Westborn Market helps keep employees’ creative fire
burning and their skills up to date by offering ongoing
training through the Michigan Floral Association (MFA)
and trade shows. Industry publications such as Super
Floral Retailing also are part of the company’s training
strategy.
“we have our hands in
everything”
Having a large,
well-trained staff allows Westborn Market to give customers
one-on-one attention when they are making floral purchases.
“We’re always helping them select flowers and are talking
about the plants,” Ms. Magewick says. “The whole staff is
very knowledgeable about flowers and always able to assist.”
All flower purchases receive complimentary wrapping and can
be rung up at one of the floral department’s three
registers, or they can be rung up at the store’s main
checkout area.
The staff often creates arrangements for customers
while they shop. “We generally ask for about 30 minutes,”
Ms. Magewick remarks, which allows the florists to create
and gift-wrap the designs. “That’s enough time to build a
$50 or $100 arrangement.”
 Westborn Market provides wedding services from setup to
delivery, handling, on average, 200 nuptials a year. Two of
the stores have consultation rooms, and at the third, brides
and the wedding consultant meet at a table in the floral
department. The company has a full-service catering
operation, and the two departments will recommend one
another’s services to clients. Westborn Market publicizes
its wedding services on its Web site,
www.westbornmarket.com, in a professionally produced
brochure, in bridal magazines and on wedding Web sites such
as TheKnot.com.
Other services include seven-day-a-week delivery, for a
$10 fee, and family funeral work including setup at the
funeral home. “We are pretty much doing it all,” Ms.
Magewick concludes. “We have our hands in everything.”
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garden business blooms |
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 Westborn Market
capitalizes on Michigan residents’ eagerness to
leave their hard winters behind at the first sign of
spring by offering huge garden centers full of
everything they need to beautify their outdoor
spaces.
The Livonia, Mich.,
location has a 6,000-square-foot permanent
greenhouse, and the other two stores, in Berkley and
Dearborn, have temporary, 60-foot-long cold-frame
greenhouses. Jeff Anusbigian, co-owner of
Westborn Market, estimates the company’s space
dedicated to floral quadruples during the spring.
Depending on the weather, the company starts
putting garden products outside around the last week
of April and keeps them out until Aug. 1. Nursery
stock and shrubs are the first items that go out,
and by May 1, the greenhouses and surrounding areas
are filled with perennials, annuals and hanging
baskets, most of them grown locally.
The stores bring in seasonal help to supplement
the floral staff, often college students who are
home on break and have been with Westborn Market
since high school. The company trains employees on
garden procedures and plant care, but Mr. Anusbigian
says most of the outdoor workers already are garden
enthusiasts, which is important when dealing with
these perishable products. “You can’t just say,
‘Just go out and water the plants,’” he reminds.
“You’ve got to have the knowledge.” |
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successful vendor
partnerships
And while weddings
and other events are important to the business, Westborn
Market has grown the operation thanks to regular flower
purchasers. “We love to get [customers] for the holidays or
special occasions, but most of our flower purchasers are
weekly flower buyers,” Mr. Anusbigian confides. “That’s what
has enabled us to do the volume we do and to grow the way we
have.”
To keep shoppers coming back, Westborn Market makes
sure to offer the freshest products in its
flower-market-style departments. The company’s flower and
plant buyer, Susan Dunmore, a graduate of Michigan
State University’s horticulture program, procures cut
flowers directly from local and international growers as
well as from nearby wholesalers, with deliveries arriving at
the stores six days a week.
Michigan boasts a thriving horticulture industry, and
Westborn Market buys many of its blooming plants from local
growers, a fact customers appreciate. The company also gets
several shipments of cut flowers and blooming plants every
week from nearby Ontario, Canada. “We’re really fortunate as
far as lines of supplies; we have so many,” Mr. Anusbigian
remarks.
He describes a collaborative partnership between
Westborn Market and its suppliers, some of whom the company
has done business with for more than 40 years. “The
relationship with our vendors is part of our success,” he
emphasizes. Open lines of communication and a willingness to
meet one another’s needs are crucial to Westborn Market’s
successful vendor relationships, he reveals. “They will do
whatever we want them to do, and vice versa.”
favorite florals
Short-stem roses (40
cm) are Westborn Market’s best-selling floral item, selling
for $7.99 to $9.99 a dozen. Customers also enjoy selecting
loose stems from the department’s large selection, which
includes lilies, roses, tulips, mums, Gerberas and
much more.
Mixed bouquets also sell well, with prices ranging from
$10 to $35. The company’s designers create the $10 bouquets,
which usually are monochromatic and feature seasonal flowers
including Gerberas, spray mums, roses or Irises.
Wholesalers design the bouquets in the higher price points.
The stores always keep about 100 arrangements in the
coolers for customers to grab and go. Shoppers prefer unique
arrangements, Ms. Magewick reveals, especially those
featuring tropicals. The average price is $50.
A huge business every spring is the outdoor garden
center, where thousands of square feet are dedicated to
bedding plants and complementary items. (Read more about
the outdoor center in “Garden Business Blooms,” below.)
The blooming plant business is growing after a
couple of years of slow sales, Mr. Anusbigian reveals.
Winter-weary customers respond well to spring bulbs such as
Hyacinths, tulips and daffodils, which sell for $6.99
to $9.99. Other good sellers include Cyclamens and
Kalanchoes.
Gift baskets also are important to the floral
operation’s business. Shoppers can order them online and
ship them nationwide or buy them ready-made from the
departments. If they don’t find what they need among the
ready-made baskets, the floral staff will create custom
items. Prices start at $30 and go as high as $124.99.
the right way
To make sure
customers know about its high-quality products, Westborn
Market gives floral prominent placement on its Web site.
Customers can learn about the department and its services,
order flowers for local or national delivery, and download
informational brochures on products and care and handling.
The Web site tells customers, “When you want to ‘say it
with flowers,’ come to Westborn Market—for unparalleled
customer service, exceptional freshness and attention to
detail.” Those are the qualities that customers respond to
and that have fueled Westborn Market’s phenomenal floral
success. As Mr. Anusbigian says, “If you do it right, day in
and day out, you will be rewarded.”
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keys to success |
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ATTENTION-GETTING
DEPARTMENTS
The beautiful floral departments at Westborn Market
are designed to look like flower markets and to
entice customers with colorful displays. The look of
the departments changes often to keep customers’
interest high.
ABUNDANT PRODUCTS
The departments are filled with flowers by the stem,
bouquets, arrangements, blooming plants, giftware
and gift baskets. In the spring, the outdoor garden
centers give customers even more products from which
they can choose.
STAFF Each store has from 15 to
25 floral professionals who are trained to provide
top customer service.
GETTING THE WORD OUT
The company promotes its floral services on its Web
site, in brochures, through press releases and at
wedding Web sites such as TheKnot.com. |
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Reach Editor in Chief
Cynthia L. McGowan at
cmcgowan@superfloralretailing.com
or (800) 355-8086.
Photos courtesy of Doug Cannell from Magnet Creative |
