Florists are putting the final touches on their shop windows, which have been dressed in red for a few days now, in anticipation of the Valentine's Day. In fact, this year, Thessaloniki aims to break every sales record in flowers and bouquets.
"Thessaloniki will celebrate romance and love. We estimate more than 300,000 roses this year, a number that surpasses any previous year and we hope to break the barrier," said Manolis Syllis, owner of a flower shop and member of the Administrative Committee of the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce.
As he said, when speaking to Agency 104.9 FM, most of the orders have been made from the Netherlands, from which is where 90% of the flowers come from, while the last deliveries are made until today, Valentine's Eve, in more special cases.
"The king of Valentine's day is the red rose, and also quite popular are the teddy bears, designed from roses, in different shades and the Forever Roses, which come in either glasses or cans, as these are products that last for years," noted Mr. Syllis.
Black and blue roses are preferred by younger people.
However, there are also those who reject the classic red roses. These are younger lovers who, looking for more modern versions, end up making bouquets in dark and strange shades.
"Younger people love different colours with black as their first choice, influenced by their favourite series with magic, which are extremely popular, so a percentage of young people mainly, not only for tomorrow, but in general, order flowers dyed that they can keep for a long time," he said.
"In the field of flowers, there is the classic, the timeless, but also the modern," Syllis added.
The classics on the other hand - and perhaps more romantic - vote for orchids, tulips, gerberas, anemones, and other seasonal flowers.
There are a lot of pre-reservations and waiting orders for those in a hurry but in love. There are also large bouquets counting up to a hundred roses!
As for the prices, as people in the field say, despite the increases, florists have kept prices at the same levels as last year, from three to five euros per rose.
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