By transforming and expanding the range of services offered by the family business À la Boîte à Fleurs, the sisters Stéphanie and Marie-Ève Joly, who took over, propelled it: online sales more than tripled in one year and turnover increased by 30%.
“And 2022 is going to be an ambitious year! happily announces Stéphanie Joly, director of the florist division of the Laval company. We want to improve our presence on the web, improve our website and double our online sales. ”
Founded 55 years ago by Denise Locas, grandmother of the Joly sisters, À la Boîte à Fleurs is first and foremost a florist. But with the arrival of new blood, ideas are jostling and projects are multiplying: Marie-Ève Joly has developed, in 2010, a gourmet area, with delicatessen, ready-made meals for take-out and a bistro corner.
The products in the store are diversifying: decorative items, baby clothes, children’s games, body products, notebooks … Everything is chosen meticulously and great importance is given to Quebec artisans. They represent 95% of what ends up on the shelves.
Mixing flowers and food, it was daring. We must not forget that we resell merchandise, we do not manufacture anything. What we offer is personalized and more humanized than what we find in supermarkets, for example. We offer a beautiful showcase for local artisans.
Stéphanie Joly, director of the florist division, At the flower box
Online sales exploded when the entrepreneurial duo tapped into gift baskets, ordered online and mailed in cute boxes, also made locally. “The most popular themes, at the moment, are festive aperitif boxes, boxes for families, with cookie mixes, multicolored pasta, caramel, or even relaxation and cocooning boxes”, affirms the woman. 38-year-old businessman.
Gift baskets change with the seasons, and according to current trends. On Mother’s Day last spring, in the midst of the coronavirus wave when people couldn’t see their loved ones, sales were skyrocketing. “We managed 400 online orders in one weekend! », Launches the mother of a 5-year-old boy.
About 60% of online sales come from the business community. Large companies, such as Cascades, Desjardins, Danone, Couche-Tard, the National Bank, have become allies because they are loyal, underlines Mr.me Joly, visibly proud.
Strong and feminine leadership
Stéphanie Joly does not hide it: the growth of the company is managed well because the leadership is strong. His mother, Francine Locas Joly, who took over the business from her own mother in 1995, still owns and oversees the operations. The almost all-female team has almost doubled in 10 years: there are now 16 opening the store, seven days a week.
According to Mme Joly, the main issue in human resources management is quality of life.
We make the schedules based on the availability of employees. They can then change their shifts as they wish.
Stéphanie Joly, director of the florist division, At the flower box
“We have reduced our opening hours to allow for a better work-family balance. We are very attentive to their needs. And above all, we want them to have fun, ”she adds.
She firmly believes that by giving control and autonomy to her employees, a healthy relationship of trust has been established throughout the group. “We are working in a creative field,” she recalls, “it has to be pleasant, joyful, relaxed! My team never ceases to impress me. ”
A network that opens doors
Stéphanie Joly, graduate in presentation design and management from McGill University, has skillfully created a network around the company. She is involved in the Réseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec, where she has held the position of regional president for Laval since September. She also obtained the international certification “WEConnect” which ensures a majority of female ownership, management, independence and control in a company.
“Among businesswomen, we discuss our challenges and objectives,” she notes. As much for the support as for the tools and resources, it’s worth it! And I’m not even talking about business opportunities. I think I underestimated, at the start of my career in 2010, the importance of contacts … It opens doors! ”