Finlay Flowers profit hit by difficult 2010

Cut flowers supplier Finlay Flowers has reported a loss of £842,000 for 2010 as a ­result of the Icelandic ash cloud and the exceptionally cold weather last winter.

The company, known as Flamingo Flowers before rebranding in June 2011, said its underlying performance in 2010 had been good, but it had been affected by events outside management’s control. The volcanic ash cloud that threw air freight into chaos in April 2010 had disrupted the company’s supply chain, leading to “lost sales, product dumping and incremental supply chain costs,” Finlay Flowers’ directors said. “The extreme arctic weather conditions also impacted availability, supply costs and consumer demand,” they added.

Finlay Flowers posted an operating loss of £842,000 for the year to 1 January 2011 compared with a profit of £1.5m in 2009. Turnover was up slightly, from £152,552 to £155,482.