New supermarket floral benchmarks from the International Fresh Produce Association show the average U.S. supermarket floral department generating $98,892 in annual sales per store in 2025, up 9.9% from a year earlier, with a 48% gross margin and 9% shrink.
The figures, published on IFPA’s floral benchmarks page, arrive days before the association’s Global Produce & Floral Show, scheduled for Oct. 13-16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., according to The Packer. SuperFloral’s earlier show preview covers the schedule.
What the national numbers say about floral profitability
IFPA’s page cites Circana point-of-sale data and an annual online questionnaire sent to floral buyers. It reports that floral makes up 1.4% of total store sales.
The average department covers 602 square feet and produces $163 in sales per square foot. Shoppers spent an average of $10.65 per item.
IFPA lists labor at 10% of sales and shrink at 9%. Its contribution estimate, defined as gross margin minus labor and shrink, is 29% of sales.
The survey sample covered 28 supermarket chains representing more than 30,295 stores, the page says.
Regional gaps are wider than the headline growth
Regional results diverge sharply. Stores in the West averaged $188,974 in floral sales and California stores averaged $159,543. The Southeast averaged $79,735 and the Mid-South $73,768, according to IFPA.
Price per item varies as well. California averaged $13.54 per item, roughly 42% above the Southeast’s $9.52 by our calculation from the IFPA figures.
Growth was fastest in the Northeast, where sales per store rose 16.0% and units per store rose 6.2%. The Plains followed with 10.9% sales growth and units up 4.0%.
The Great Lakes and Mid-South tell a different story. Sales grew 8.2% and 9.1%, but units per store rose only 0.1% and 0.9%. That pattern suggests dollar growth there came more from price and mix than from selling more items.
Shrink is the lever buyers can quantify
At 9% of sales, shrink in an average $98,892 department works out to roughly $8,900 a year. Each percentage point removed would be worth about $990 per store. Both figures are our arithmetic from IFPA’s numbers.
IFPA’s own recommendations are to compare floral’s productivity with other perimeter departments, test service models against labor limits, quantify shrink and simplify assortment, and tailor pricing and mix by region.
These supermarket floral benchmarks are department averages. The page does not break out bouquets, plants and other categories, and it does not report seasonal peaks. It also labels the data as 2025 while describing the survey as conducted in 2026, so confirm the data period with IFPA before citing the numbers in an internal review.
For a look at one seasonal program built on these economics, see SuperFloral’s Thanksgiving floral program checklist.
Shrink is as much a handling problem as a buying problem. SuperFloral’s guide to flower care and handling at scale covers the cooler, hydration and ethylene practices that protect vase life.
Takeaways: using supermarket floral benchmarks in your next review
- Set your department’s gross margin, labor and shrink beside the national 48%, 10% and 9% before the next line review.
- Price the shrink gap: each point of shrink on a $98,892 department is about $990 a year.
- Read your region, not just the national average. A West store and a Southeast store are working with very different sales bases.
- Check whether your growth is coming from units or from price. Flat units with rising dollars can mask traffic problems.
- Use the supermarket floral benchmarks as a yardstick for departments, then build category plans from your own scan data.
Sources: International Fresh Produce Association floral benchmarks page; The Packer.
The SuperFloral Team brings you news, trends and practical ideas for supermarket and mass-market floral professionals. Our editors gather and curate the stories that matter most to floral teams in grocery and retail, from industry news and events to merchandising inspiration and business advice. Have a story idea or news tip? Write to us at editorial@superfloral.com.
