Presenting

8 W ith the joyous yet busy (and, hopefully, prosperous) holiday season in the rearview, it's time to take a well-deserved moment to catch your breath—and to assess and analyze both the successes you had and the challenges you faced in 2023—before kicking it in to high gear again for the year ahead. e dawning of a new calendar year always brings with it—despite omnipresent economic uncertainty—a potential for further achievement and greater victories. at said, as our "Retail Forecast 2024" suggests, retailers are likely to experience a tricky operating environment in the coming months. Many economists are lowering expectations for the year, predicting a slowdown in retail sales growth, continued high interest rates and little relief in a tight labor market (meaning that you may have to increase wages to retain good employees). On the bright side, though, inflation is expected to continue to decrease, which encourages shoppers to spend more (but also decreases retailers' ability to raise prices) and the housing market is booming, which also tends to be good news for retailers as new homeowners and remodelers spend on décor. Be sure read the full report, beginning on Page 52. As always, there is so much more to consume in this issue, but I must direct your attention to one of our most anticipated features every January, "e American Floral Trends Forecast," which opens on Page 18. is year, the esteemed report, which Florists' Review premiered 20 years ago, in 2004, defines, analyzes and illustrates five major trends that will influence floral design in the coming 12 months. is lavish feature, no doubt, will be—as it always is—the article that many readers turn to first! Keep this issue handy so you can refer to it throughout the year. Finally, I want to again thank everyone who contributed their knowledge and talents to this beautiful issue, as well as our loyal subscribers and marketing partners, without whom none of this would happen! 8 No- welcome Kindest regards, Jules Lewis Gibson President & Creative Director Florists' Review Media Group B January | 2024

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