Lily of the valley on May 1: the florists' shops will remain closed, withdrawals authorized

Lily of the valley, the lucky flower of May 1, will not have brought luck to florists in this period of Covid-19 pandemic: they will not be allowed to sell lily of the valley on Friday until delivery or withdrawal of order on their No door.

Thursday, the day before May 1, the French Federation of Florist Craftsmen believed it: it published in the afternoon a press release stating that they had obtained "from the Prime Minister" the authorization to sell the traditional lucky strand before the flower shops, closed to the public since March 17 like most other shops deemed "not essential to the life of the country".

🔴🇫🇷 #CORONAVIRUS #Reminder | You want to buy lily of the valley for # 1stMay ❓
🔔 In order to fight # COVID__19, the traditional sale of lily of the valley is supervised this year.
So ask about authorized sales ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lMaswtw92X

Before finally being disowned in the evening by the government, which published a strict reminder of the rule: are only allowed for florists deliveries and withdrawals of orders on their doorstep. It must be said that the sale of precious white bells brings in some 7 million euros in turnover to florists each year.

Authorized sale in essential shops

A spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture reminded AFP that sales of lily of the valley will be allowed "in essential businesses whose opening has been authorized since the beginning of containment", such as supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries or tobacco shops.

This announcement made on April 21 by the Minister of Agriculture, who wanted to support the horticultural sector of thrush producers, had also sparked a public outcry among florists on the theme: "To each his trade".

"Florists' stores are closed like all other stores," said Didier Guillaume, interviewed on CNews Thursday evening. "There can be no discrimination". 

"Winning the battle against the virus"

"What we have authorized is that the florists can deliver or that their order can be picked up in front of the store, but in no case can the stores be opened," he said, recalling that "l 'government objective' is to 'win the battle against the virus'.

In the aftermath, the Federation of flower artisans also admitted in a corrective statement Thursday evening that "the possibility for florists to sell on their doorsteps was not granted by the Prime Minister", but only "mentioned during 'a meeting in Matignon ".

In fact, the situation of florists and the entire horticultural industry is quite difficult. The 14,000 French florists alone estimate that they will have lost a total of nearly 350 million euros during the two months of compulsory containment closure.

Unauthorized sale prohibited

Many of them were counting on May 1 to rebuild their financial health. For florists, this day is the fourth of the year for sales, behind Mother's Day, Christmas and Valentine's Day, said Florent Moreau, president of the federation, at AFP.

Little consolation, the florists have obtained that street sales, for the benefit of associations in particular, which are traditionally authorized and which they live as unfair competition, are also prohibited this year.

Normally, during the weekend of May 1, 31% of the sprigs of lily of the valley sold in France are purchased from a florist, 25% in mass distribution, 11% on a market, 9% in garden centers, 4% on the exploitation and 20% in other places, especially on the street, according to the panelist Kantar.

At the Élysée, Emmanuel Macron held the traditional ceremony of handing over lily of the valley on May 1 on Friday, but in small groups.

With AFP

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