Move over local flowers. With the international florist chains making its presence felt in the state capital, people are now swayed by the scent and the beautifully packaged flowers.

The outlets had been catering for occasions such as birthdays and Teacher?s Day and have now started bagging offers for decorations in marriage functions.

While they come in all shapes, sizes and colours, it is also available at rates which are easy on one?s pocket. And if that was not enough, the different outlets have also started giving away many offers to woo the customers. While a majority of the flowers are brought from Holland, many are brought from as far as Amsterdam, China and Bangkok. Some are even brought from Bangalore and the southern states of the country.

Exquisite petals

International florist chain Ferns and Petals: Ferns and Petals franchise Ujala proprietor Manish Tantia maintains that Ranchi market had taken him by surprise going by the great response after the opening of the shop. Tantia pointed out that the shop while on one hand, caters to Anthurium which is mainly grown and brought from Holland, it has an exquisite variety of lillies from Kenya. The shop also has flowers like Orchids, Birds of Paradise, Carnation, Heleconia, Alastamaria and Tulips brought mainly from Holland, China and Amsterdam.

Tantia says the most sought-after flower is the beautiful Anthurium. Roses a favourite are brought from Bangalore as they grow the best roses in the country. They are quite equivalent to the Dutch roses, which are considered the best in the world. Among the flowers, the best that we have to offer is the Birds of Paradise which looks like a small bird and is very sweet looking, Tantia said.

Apart from this, the proprietor said the main reason behind the increase of demand for these flowers is that they are superior in quality from the local ones and have a much longer life.

Not just rosy

Bunches, Main Road: Proprietor of the shop Anil Prasad Singh said although things have improved, the demand for foreign flowers is yet to peak. Comparing it with the market in New Delhi, Singh said an outlet dealing in international flowers has a yearly income of about Rs 50 to 60 lakh. The market in the state capital does come close to it.

Apart from birthday parties and other such functions, there has also been a rise in demand for marriage function decorations. While the rose is a favourite during marriages, there is also a demand for orchids. Singh added that he also intends to renovate the outlet in a big way and start new offers after the Durga Pujas. Free delivery is on the cards for local customers.

Wishlist

Anthurium ? Rs 75 per piece

Lillies ? Rs 75 to 100 per piece

Orchids ? Rs 30 per piece

Bird of Paradise ? Rs 75 per piece

Carnation ? Rs 15 per piece

Heleconia ? Rs 100 per piece

Tulips ? Rs 70 per piece

First Hand

Scent-driven market

Manish Tantia of International florist chain, Ferns and Petals, says imported flowers are on its way to capture the market. The business is innovative and the customers are steadily growing. Customers want something new, even though they have to shell out a few bucks more. ?We offer a variety of flowers for our customers,? Tantia said.

Tantia added that the demand of foreign flowers in the city has increased in the past few months. Flowers from Bangkok, Thailand, Amsterdam, Netherlands and Kenya are brought to the state capital. These sell like hot cakes during the wedding season, he said.