Brief History
Gardena Flowers and Plants Trading is an outdoor shop that specialises in the sale of plant nurseries, ceramic pots used to grow the plants, as well as outdoor deception materials used to beautify offices and homes. The company is ten months old having started in July, 2013. It is a sole proprietorship form of business that is owned by Omar Almoalla, an entrepreneur in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Mission and Vision
The company’s mission is to be a trusted supplier of plant nurseries, ceramic pots, and outdoor deception materials that satisfy the diverse needs of its clientele. The vision is to be an international exporter of plant nurseries, ceramic pots, and outdoor deception materials.
Location
The shop is located a few kilometres from the main central business district of Dubai along the Hatta- Al Ain highway in the Dragon Mart mall. This mall is also known as the largest single shopping market for Chinese products outside the mainland of China. It is appropriately 1.3 kilometres long and has the capacity to serve more than five thousand customers and visitors on a single day. Gardena Flowers and Plants Trading occupy a small space within the mall approximately two hundred square metres.
Ownership and Employees
The company is run by the owner Omar Almoalla with the help of two salesmen and one driver. The salesmen are usually at the shop to assist customers as well as show them the best way of taking care of the plants after they leave the nursery. On the other hand, the driver is charged with running small errands although at times the company delivers the customers’ orders on request to their premises or offices.
Target Market and Competition
The location of the company is ideal since it faces less competition due to the minimal number of plant and flower shops at the mall. The main businesses located at the Dragon Mart are the sales of Chinese merchandise and thus explaining the lack of competition at the mall. The numerous customers and visitors to the mall who are approximately five thousand daily bring good business due to the fact that they are dynamic and not the same people daily thus offering an opportunity to sell to a new market every single day.
The mall being a symbol of Chinese cultural heritage attracts a diverse number of visitors and tourists, which provide the company with a rare opportunity of growth and development by serving international customers, and thus increasing its service platform through the interaction with international clients. This has enabled the owner to incorporated different types of flowers and plants that are both local and exotic so as to satisfy the diverse needs of the customers.
Furthermore, the ceramic pots used to hold the plants and flowers can be tailored to meet each and every customer’s specification in terms of colour, size, and design depending on their premises. Hence, the company provides pots for hospitals, offices, and home beatification in line with the clients’ orders.
The company faces competition from other established plant nursery and flower sellers who are situated at the Warsan Market in Dubai. The traders at this market enjoy a first-hand market since most of the customers who come here already know what they want unlike the location for Gardena Flowers and Plants Trading where the vising customers have to be convinced to buy plant nurseries and flowers.
Furthermore, traders at Warsan market pay less statutory fees in form of licences and rent compared to the location of the company at an international mall.
Financial Analysis
Gardena Flowers and Plants Trading has been able to recoup its initial investment capital since it was able to pass the breakeven point seven month ago. This translates to exactly three months after it opened its doors. Such a performance is an indication of rapid growth and good performance given that some businesses take up to a year to recoup the investments. The employees are paid on a daily basis and thus it is easy to know the amount of profits made daily after subtracting all the expenses from the daily sales.
Breakdown of Income
Daily Sales= 1500AED
Daily Expanses= 800AED
Daily Profits= (1500-800) AED= 700AED
Scope for the Future
The company has a very bright future since it has a viable growth and development plan that involves expansion to other areas of Dubai as well as other cities in United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, the company’s vision is to become an international supplier of plan nurseries as well as flowers through exports to different countries.
In order to be able to achieve this, the company endeavours to focus on acquiring a large client base after which it can start manufacturing its own ceramic ports and outdoor deception materials as opposed to the current situation where it is forced to outsource from other sellers. Hence, such a move will ensure increased profits and reduced cost of sales leading to acquisition of more customers.