The Beginning: 1910-1920's

The seeds of our success story were sown in America in 1910 when a couple of enterprising florists had the idea of telegraphing orders to each other from opposite sides of the country. 
They hoped that by doing so they would no longer have to rely on trains to send flowers to far-away recipients. 

Back then, lengthy transit times made sending flowers to friends and relatives in distant states almost impossible. The flowers simply could not survive the long journey.

Soon, independent florists all over America were telegraphing and telephoning orders to each other using the Interflora service. They found that by coming together they were able to make the seemingly impossible, possible. 

For the first time, beautiful bouquets could be made and personally hand-delivered anywhere in the country within a day. The idea revolutionised the way flowers could be sent, meaning that customers could now mark special occasions from afar.

Not surprisingly, it wasn't long before florists outside of the US wanted to get in on the action. In the UK, a nursery owner from Essex and a florist in Glasgow were the first to bring the concept to the other side of the Atlantic and on 30th May 1923 Interflora British Unit was born.

Within a couple of years, we were delivering beautiful floral gifts across the full length and breadth of the UK and even exhibiting at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Our very first exhibit was visited by the King and Queen and included a number of beautiful floral arrangements, as well as a painting on canvas of our newest recruit - the Mercury Man. The Roman messenger god has been our world-famous emblem since 1914. Encapsulating fast delivery and excellent service, our Mercury Man emblem still gives customers those same reassurances today.

The War Years 1930-1940's

The 1930s and 1940s took a heavy toll on the floristry industry, but we were determined that Interflora would survive and resolved to support our florists through the hard times. Although a huge number of our florists were called up to enrol in the forces, those left behind found that the war years on the British high street were a peculiar mix of hardship on the one hand and prosperity on the other.

The biggest problem facing our florists was the availability of flowers. To help the war effort, all land had been given over to food production which meant that far fewer flowers were being grown.

Added to that, restrictions on petrol and post made it difficult to get flowers from the fields to the shop floor, let alone to the recipient's doorstep. Because of their dwindling numbers flowers became increasingly hard-to-come-by and began to be seen as something of a luxury - but they were a luxury that many people wanted to hold onto.

Becoming "the Flower Experts" in 1950s

Although we survived the war the reality was that the art of floristry had suffered greatly. The enormous loss of life had meant a significant loss of talent. Many of our remaining florist shops had fallen into new hands and were being run by inexperienced, albeit enthusiastic, florists. 

Concerned that the new florists in our network may be falling short of the exceptional standards we championed, we arranged for a talented florist to be flown over from the US to share his expertise and superior design skills.

From here on, training and demonstrating became an integral part of our identity. Even today we hold regular floristry competitions to ensure that our florists remain at the forefront of floristry design. Indeed, the brilliant creative skills and extensive knowledge of all our florists gives us license to be recognised as 'The Flower Experts'.

By the end of the 1950's the hard work had all paid off. Interflora had become a byword for excellence and expertise in floristry and was really flourishing both at home and abroad.

In fact, the success was such that we had to introduce our very own currency - the Fleurin - to simplify currency calculations when sending orders abroad. 

Fifty Years of Flower Power 1960-1970s

In the sixties flowers became more fashionable than ever. As flower power swept the nation, our florists up and down the country were bringing bold designs and high-fashion flowers to the high street. As the decade wore on, flowers gained a new importance as a symbol for peaceful opposition to war in Vietnam.

We enjoyed a big occasion of our own in the seventies. 1973 marked our fiftieth anniversary, and we celebrated with a jubilee lunch at London's Cafe Royal. The venue itself was carefully chosen - fifty years earlier it had been here that our founder members held their very first meeting. And in honour of the occasion, we even served the same lunch menu - steak and kidney pudding.

In amongst all the nostalgia, our fiftieth year was as much a time for looking forward. Our celebrations brought together - for the very first time - Interflora florists from all over the world. Showcasing our incredibly diverse network, florists attended from Africa, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany and New Zealand. It was a clear sign of just how successful we’d been in expanding around the world.

Success did bring with it problems of a different nature. For the first time, we faced the challenge of competing with new copy-cat flower delivery services.
A campaign was devised to remind customers that 'only the best florists belong' to Interflora. We knew that to hold our position as market leaders, we’d have to go that extra mile for our customers.

Interflora Reaches Out 1980-1990s

Throughout the eighties and nineties, the iconic Interflora bus could be seen touring all over the country. 
We'd stop off at flower shows and country fairs to give floral demonstrations and let people see our talented florists at work. 

By this time ordering flowers by phone was commonplace. The introduction of the credit card had made sending flowers even easier and we had orders coming in from far and wide.

In fact in 1991, we received our first order from outer space! Britain's first astronaut, Helen Sharman sent an order for flowers to be delivered to her mother from the Mir space station. Just imagine how Helen's mum must have felt when we delivered them into her arms.

Interflora went on to sponsor all sorts of events throughout the nineties. From figure skating, to athletics, to the Commonwealth Games: the Interflora name was seen all over the world. In 1992, we even sponsored F1 racing driver Nigel Mansell, who went on to win the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. It was a proud day for British sports fans - and for us too.

Our Story Continues... 2000-Present

Today, we are proud to be one of the world's most recognised brands. 8 out of 10 people think of us when wondering who to trust to deliver good wishes on their behalf.

We're active on the part of others too. Since 2005 we've raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Breast Cancer Care. We are also continuing to support British farmers and good causes such as Fairtrade. And we continue to be recognised as leaders in floral design. As well as winning gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, many of our florists are award winners in their own right.

Every two years we recognise excellence in our network through our Florist of the Year and Florist of the Future awards and to make the most of our florists' expertise, we've recently launched our Luxury range as well as a Designed to Order service.

As we celebrate our 90th birthday, we've freshened things up with a new look. Our distinctive black and gold Mercury logo celebrates where we've come from, but looks to the future too.Today our UK network includes more than 1,800 expert florists across the UK and Ireland - each one with their own history and unique story to tell.

Every day, every one of our florists uses their creative skills and personal touch to create the most beautiful floral gifts. It's their passion for excellence that ensures ours is a success story that will continue for years to come...

Name: Hannah Robson

Company: The Retail Data Partnership

How long have you been with the company: 2 years

Job Role: Marketing Executive

Where did you find the job advertisement to apply for the role?

Whilst working in the customer services department, I took the opportunity to change departments and focus on a specific vocation, that being Marketing and Sales.

Why did you want to work for the company?

I wanted to explore my strengths and experience a new industry.

What interested you about the industry?

Working in marketing, I can use my creative skills and develop a good understanding of the convenience sector.

Can you describe a typical day for you?

I manage our social media platforms, customer feedback site and the day to day marketing requests from other departments. Alongside producing content and ideas for our website, I also look after the marketing stock and have correspondence with external payment companies when creating promotional materials.

What qualities do you bring to the role?

I am a strong character and am passionate about communications with internal and external contacts. I am creative, organised and driven to complete any task to a high standard.

What is the best thing about working at the company?

I have a great love for the people I work with and take pleasure interacting daily with each and every person on a professional and personal level.

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

TRDP offers many opportunities to enhance your knowledge and skill set. A stepping stone to a career tailored to you.

Name: Helen Mandley            

Company: Water Management Alliance (WMA)

How long have you been with the company: 2 years 8 months 

Job Role: Environmental Officer

Where did you find the job advertisement to apply for the role?

Friend told me about the role and I looked on the company website.

Why did you want to work for the company?

In my previous job at the Norfolk Rivers Trust I had worked with the WMA company in partnership so I knew the team within WMA was really good. The jobs we do are so varied and I wanted to be a part of all of them to become more experienced in my field.

What interested you about the industry?

Protecting native wildlife and habitats while managing water courses such as drains and rivers.

Can you describe a typical day for you?

During October I am out and about doing water vole surveys to see if they are active within a site before and during mitigation (mitigation is where the vegetation is removed to encourage water voles to leave before we start works). This is so maintenance work can happen on drains such as maintaining culverts and sluices without affecting water voles because they are a protected species. I will then write up my findings into a report.  I also get involved in invasive species management.

What qualities do you bring to the role?

I bring knowledge of the landscape and river catchments, enthusiasm of working to protect native species and habitat. Wanting to work with the engineering and maintenance team to service drains while enhancing and protecting the habitats on site.

What is difficult about your role?

Being an Environmental Officer requires you to be able to carry out water vole surveys, sometimes this can be difficult when working in all kinds of weather. You just need to keep going. During the winter months I am standby for Flood Duty as we have the contract to manage the Lowestoft Temporary Flood Barriers. So if there is a tidal flood predicted I could be out in all weathers, night or day helping to put the barrier up and take it down after the event. Last time it happened, it was snowing and it was absolutely freezing!

What is the best thing about working at the company?

Working within a team that understands your role and working together to get the work done. Having the knowledge that your work benefits the environment. Going back to river restoration jobs a year or so later to find out the site is recovering well from the work. 

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

The environment is important to both us and the native species, this means that we need to work together to carry out works and also protect habitats and species at the same time. 

Hill Holt Wood is a social enterprise with a wide variety of environmental attractions and services.

It attracts local people and international visitors. It employs and trains mainly local people, recruiting young graduates or school leavers – who are offered apprenticeships.

A structured staff development programme means there is a good quality of work experience, potential for career progression and excellent job satisfaction. Not only is Hill Holt providing an interesting place to visit it is actively supporting and investing in the community. And it has plans to diversify and expand into business that help exploit the environmental potential of Lincolnshire. 

http://www.hillholtwood.co.uk

Name: Ibrahim Ali

Company: The Retail Data Partnership

How long have you been with the company: 10 Months

Job Role: Junior Developer

Where did you find the job advertisement to apply for the role?

I found the job advertisement online.

Why did you want to work for the company?

The company allowed me to use skills which I have learned at university.

I had the chance to learn a new programming language like Perl and the opportunity to work on team projects.

What interested you about the industry?

The chance to work on an EPOS (electric point of sale) system.

I would get the opportunity to help shop owners in managing products and making transactions easier for them.

An the chance to work on complex systems like managing stock, loyalty and shelf edge labels.

Can you describe a typical day for you?

The day starts with a team Kanban where the team is updated on the progress of issues currently being worked on. If a person has finished they would be delegated a new bug or issue. I would usually be given a ShopMate bug. Once Kanban is finished, I would study how the bug currently works and discuss with the creator of the bug on how ShopMate should work. Next a SVN branch would be created to work on the bug as this allows multiple developers to code in the same area. I would then try to find where the code is placed on the system. Once I found where the code is placed, I would place debugging around the code to make sure I was in the right area. Next I would work on a solution to the bug. Depending on the complexity of the bug this could take a while. Once I have fixed the bug I would commit the code. The work is now waiting to be tested by the testers. Once I have finished I am available to help other members on their work until another piece of work becomes available. New work can also be a new feature which adds more functionality to ShopMate or a new report making it easier for customers to see their data.

What qualities do you bring to the role?

• Hard working
• Keen to learn
• Quick at learning new skills
• Willing to help others in team with issues
• I have experience using MySQL and programming languages like HTML and CSS

What is difficult about your role?

Finding a solution to a bug problem especially if it requires rewriting of old code.

Also, working to tight deadlines to output new releases of ShopMate.

What is the best thing about working at the company?

• Flexible working hours.
• Learn to program in different languages.
• Exposure to many different areas of ShopMate.
• Working in pairs on problems can help if you do not understand or get stuck.
• Team members always willing to help when they have more experience in an area.

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

It is a large industry and you get to work on range of different areas.

TRDP is always expanding giving you to the chance to work on new and exciting software.

Name:  Jan Rose

Company:  The Retail Data Partnership Ltd

How long have you been with the company: 6.5 Years

Job Role:  Wholesale Relationship & Senior Manager

Where did you find the job advertisement to apply for the role?

I originally joined the company as the Administration Manager and applied for the vacancy via an on-line advertisement for positions in Stamford.

Why did you want to work for the company?

At the time I was working in the care industry after having a break from an office environment where I had been for the previous 25-yrs.  I had always wanted to work with people but the care environment wasn’t for me and so I decided to go back to what I knew best, which was working in business.  I didn’t consciously choose to work at TRDP, at the time I was just looking for a job but, what a job and fantastic company I found.

What interested you about the industry?

I wish I could give a response to this question that is truly inspiring but to be honest I fell into retail and the convenience sector.  Yes, I have always shopped but never really thought about the process and didn’t even know what a barcode was until 7-yrs ago.

Can you describe a typical day for you?

Well no two days are ever the same, that’s for sure!

My time is split primarily in the office but also on the road, managing our Wholesaler relationships, ensuring that our corporate customers are happy and that our partner’s field teams have as much information as possible to promote our ShopMate EPoS system.

As well as managing our existing wholesale partners at a corporate level, I try to visit as many regional teams around the country, which means that I get to meet a lot of extremely interesting people and travel to all four corners of the country (hopefully not in the same week though!)

What qualities do you bring to the role?

I hope that if you asked some of our partners this question, the answer you would get would be that ‘I believe in delivering’.  Being able to listen to our customers and partners and ensuring that our business delivers the best service and solutions so that they can run their businesses well.

As part of the Senior Management Team, my role is to contribute ideas and initiatives that will build on our already solid foundations and ensure that we move into the future with a business portfolio that drives us forward for many years to come with a happy and well organised team of employees, all focused on our business objectives but, enjoying the process of getting there as well.

What is difficult about your role?

The convenience sector is not an easy industry to be part of and over the last few years there have been many hurdles.  My role of managing our partner relationships means that I need to be able to adapt quickly to requests and feed these back into our organisation.  The most difficult aspect of this, is managing the needs of the customer against the business needs of The Retail Data Partnership and the frustrations of getting changes implemented quickly enough to make the difference.

What is the best thing about working at the company?

It’s hard to know where to begin really.  The Retail Data Partnership is not like any other business I have ever worked in before or experienced, and I do experience a lot of other companies during the course of my day-to-day role.  Many companies promote that great service is at the heart of their business and that they recognise the importance of their staff.

At The Retail Data Partnership, we have ‘Customers’ whether they are external or internal, we have an ethos whereby we strive to ensure that everyone is treated as we would like to be treated ourselves; it sounds a little corny but it’s true.

There are no boundaries here, I started off as the Office Manager because I had many years of office experience.  I don’t have a degree or a string of qualifications but I do have life skills that our business appreciates and recognises which has led to me moving from middle management to senior management. 

The saying ‘hard-work pays-off’ is definitely true here, if you give 100% you will get that back ten-fold.

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

If you enjoy a challenge and constantly changing targets, then convenience retail is the industry to choose. 

EPoS technology is an area whereby you can visibly see the benefits it can provide to retailers.  Seeing our customers receive their new systems and observing increased sales and footfall because of the solutions we have provided and, getting great customer feedback in the field is an incredible buzz.

I joined the company in 2012 as a Graduate Trainee, coming straight from completing a Business Studies degree at the University of Lincoln.

On the Graduate Development Programme I got the opportunity to move around the company undertaking projects in different departments such as, Operations, IT, HR, Field Services and Development. Throughout this process I realised the elements of a role that did and didn’t appeal to me, which led me to being an NPD Co-ordinator, managing the Waitrose and Booker fresh accounts as well as assisting with others.

Due to the NPD Manager leaving a few months later I stepped up and managed all of the customer accounts from an NPD point of view as well as trying to gain a larger share of these accounts and gain new ones, a tricky but steep learning curve. This experience has really helped as we’ve grown the team, and in May 2016 I was promoted to Senior NPD Manager. As well as focusing on growing our accounts for both the Fresh and Prepared businesses I’m also involved in longer term pipeline development and process improvement to support our overall business growth strategy.

I was brought up on a mixed farm in the borders and I studied agriculture at college. My first job was as a teacher, but I think I felt stifled working indoors. It wasn’t long before I moved in to a technical position with a vegetable-producing business, which meant that I spent a considerable amount of time out in the fields with growers. In 1990 I moved into potatoes and over the next few years I learned everything I could about this challenging crop, in the classroom as well as out in the fields.

I joined the team at the Abernethy site in 1996. Initially it was a technical manager role - a cross-over position, working closely with growers and following crops from growing in the fields and all through the factory. I was keen to utilise my extensive knowledge of potato agronomy and I worked hard to set up many of the technical controls, systems and protocols that are taken for granted today.

When Branston took over the site in 2004 my job description changed to agronomy, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t see the crops through the full packing process. I’m passionate about getting the best out of potatoes and making sure that the end consumer does too. There is a very close working relationship between agronomy, procurement, technical and production at the site. Potatoes aren’t a straightforward product. There are many natural variations and challenges to be overcome. Tri-party decisions often need to be made and I aim to champion the needs of the consumer at all times.

As senior agronomist, I liaise closely with our Scottish grower group, whose potato growing covers around 2,500 hectares. I’ve got a bit of a reputation within the industry as never being one to shy away from a problem. I’ll challenge growers and colleagues if I believe they are falling short of the high standards they can deliver and I’m always looking out for ways to drive improvement. There’s always something new to learn in this industry and I’ll always push to make sure that we’re at the top of our game to keep us ahead of the competition.

There are currently dozens of openings for volunteers across Lincolnshire and one of the people helping others into the roles saw his own life transformed by giving his time for free.

Jody Raggo is now an area officer with Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS).

He originally joined LCVS eight years ago in a voluntary capacity. Back then his confidence was low, he felt stuck in a rut and he was struggling to motivate himself.

Jody had taken stop-gap jobs in retail and catering on leaving university with a degree in English and film studies, but wanted to shift to an administration role.

A training coach he was referred to via the Job Centre advised volunteering after Jody faced five months of unemployment, applying for roles that he didn’t get due to lack of experience.

Jody was nervous when he joined LCVS (then called South Lincolnshire CVS) as an administration volunteer in February 2010, but it proved the perfect platform into a new career when seven months later a paid role became available.

He said: “I enjoyed being around a close-knit and friendly team of paid staff and fellow volunteers and was able to utilise my existing skills and knowledge to my fullest effect.

“I was able to gain work experience and qualifications through my volunteering (I completed a Level 3 NVQ in Business Management whilst I was volunteering), which then led to a paid job in September 2010 that I have been in ever since.

“It has helped me gain confidence and a sense of being within a community again as well as given me self-belief in my abilities and skills.”

His experience not only led to a new career but also led him to continue volunteering long term.

Jody, 37, of Boston, continues to volunteer as a dog walker at Jerry Green Dog Rescue, in Algarkirk, and on resident committees Witham Central and Carlton Road Neighbourhood Action Group and High Street South and Boston East Neighbourhood Action Group. With LCVS, Jody has previously worked in East Lindsey and is now area officer in Grantham and Boston. His role involves promoting and enabling volunteering and supporting community groups with things like funding and policies.

Jody said: “Volunteering is very fulfilling and can help change lives. It certainly has mine!

“There are many roles that people can do and I believe there is a voluntary role for everyone out there whatever your skills and experience may be. I would definitely encourage people to give it a go.”

LCVS supports people to volunteer in Boston, Spalding, Louth and Grantham in a wide variety of roles ranging from radio presenting to race marshalling.

I joined Branston in 2011 as an assistant in the new and rapidly growing processing division. I was aware that it would involve a lot of hands-on work on farms liaising with growers and a lot of travel around the UK - digging samples and doing testing. It sounded right up my street!

Our farming and processing divisions evolved very quickly and I learnt a lot in a very short space of time. In 2012 the processing manager was promoted to head of farming and I moved up to managing the processing division. I was still doing lots of the hands-on work in the field, along with providing growers with advice on growing and varieties, but also looking after all aspects of processing supply and delivery of potatoes into processing factories. I worked closely with a dedicated group of around 20 growers across the UK and I was responsible for procurement, technical support and raw material delivery.

I always enjoyed the customer side of the role, so when an opportunity came up for an Account Executive for the Tesco account I jumped at the chance. I worked very closely with the National Account Manager, developing the long-term partnership, understanding their business needs and finding ways that we can help them grow the potato category. I've now taken on account management for the Prepared side of the business. It’s a very diverse role, with opportunities to interact with all business functions on all levels. I have to understand the whole process, from the field to the factory, and integrate this with a range of commercial skills to make sure that we keep our customers happy.

I started at Branston in May 2016, working part-time whilst studying for a foundation degree in Agricultural Management. I’m from a farming background, where everyone helps everyone else out and works together as a team, so I was really pleased to find a workplace that’s like that too. From being a summer temp, I moved on to providing maternity cover for one of our agronomists. Now I’m also involved in procurement and grower payments. Branston has been really flexible with me. So during term time I work three days a week, then through the holidays I work full-time.

We work very closely together in the Agronomy team to make sure that all our growers are looked after. That’s what I really like about Branston – the teamwork. Everyone always helps each other out. So no matter what anyone else is doing or how busy they are if you’ve got a problem they’ll happily help you out. From coming in, knowing next to nothing, the support I’ve had from everyone has been amazing. It makes it all so much easier. I’m involved in all aspects of our local growers’ crops – from planting, right through to when they’re packed in the factory. I really enjoy going out in the fields, especially on a lovely summer’s day! I’ve also been involved on the trading side and I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing the whole process from end to end. 

There’s always something to learn in a business like this. Lots of my friends work in jobs that are quite unrelated to their uni courses and it’s all just about making ends meet, but for me there are lots of elements of work that I can relate to my course and vice versa. It’s a balance, and sometimes it can be a bit stressful and challenging, but overall I really love my job. I think it also helps me to add a level of professionalism to my assignments. I’m hoping to apply for the Graduate Development Programme next. Branston has given me lots of really great opportunities and I’d love to carry on working here once I finish my degree.