Dutch florists fee slower Valentine’s orders amid Carnival and holidays

Carnival appears to be cutting into Valentine’s Day rose sales in the Netherlands this year. Marco Maasse, director of the Florist Retailers Association (VBW), notes this trend in the country’s southern regions. “In towns where Carnival is celebrated intensively, flowers get slightly less attention,” he explains. Online florist Topbloemen.nl reports lower rose orders, partly due to Carnival and the school break.

The period around Valentine’s Day is crucial for florists, but this year’s timing, coinciding with Carnival and the holiday, is “not ideal,” says Maasse. “Some shops even choose to close on Saturday to celebrate Carnival, thinking it’s pointless to stay open,” he explains. He expects sales to pick up soon, with roughly the same number of roses purchased in the north and central Netherlands as last year.

Topbloemen.nl reports that orders are currently 10 to 12 percent below last year, according to CEO Edwin van Arkel. Nevertheless, he calls the outlook “positive.” “We had anticipated lower sales this year because of the timing with Carnival and the holidays, but it looks like we are outperforming expectations,” he said. Prices remain similar to last year, and he expects overall orders to match last year’s total, with Friday likely to be the busiest day.

This year, Royal FloraHolland, the world’s largest flower auction, has seen an increase in the trade of roses and other flowers. A spokesperson noted that some of these flowers are exported. Between last Monday and Thursday, 150 million roses were sold through both the auction and direct trade,6 million more than last year. “It’s great to see that flowers continue to be in high demand for Valentine’s Day,” they said.

He says that prices are generally lower than in 2025. “There is also a bit more supply compared with last year. On top of that, the fact that Valentine’s Day falls on a weekend isn’t helping demand,” he explained.

Red roses continue to be in high demand, according to Royal FloraHolland, VBW, and Topbloemen.nl. Van Arkel points out that this year, consumers are seeking more special Valentine’s packaging “to make it a complete gift.” Meanwhile, Royal FloraHolland notes that tulips have grown in popularity as Valentine’s Day presents in recent years.