Design and build the spring window display

You are a Floral Designer at the Prahran shop.

Simulated workplaceIntermediate missionCAQA Bloom and Stem Florists

What is going on

The Prahran window still carries the winter foliage story and the Retail Manager wants a spring display in place by Friday 18 September, ahead of a busy weekend and the citizenship ceremony crowd the following week. The growers are delivering waratah, kangaroo paw, flowering gum, garden roses and snapdragons this week, and the display budget is set in the peak trading plan. The glass vase shelf on the side wall collapsed overnight and is cordoned off until the maintenance contractor re-anchors it, so the display cannot use that wall. The window faces west and gets afternoon sun, which shortens vase life, so the choice of material and the refresh routine matter. Product tickets must show prices under the Australian Consumer Law.

Tomasz Wierzbicki, Retail Manager
Subject: Spring window and front of shop display

The Prahran window is still showing the winter foliage story and it is time for spring. I want a new window and front table display in place by Friday 18 September, before the citizenship ceremony crowd comes through on the 27th. Use what Mei-Ling has coming in from the growers (waratah, kangaroo paw, flowering gum, garden roses and snapdragons), keep it within the display budget in the plan, and follow the merchandising principles in the design standards guide. Remember the vase shelf is out of action until the maintenance contractor re-anchors it, so plan the display around that.

Your brief

Plan, cost and build a spring window and front table display that uses the available seasonal stock, respects the budget and the cordoned area, protects stock from the afternoon sun, merchandises priced products with the display, and includes a maintenance routine for the week.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

Read the merchandising sections of the Stock Quality and Freshness Policy and the peak trading plan, and check the Stock Intake and Cool Room Log for what stock is available this week.
Walk the shop floor and note the window dimensions, the west facing sun, the cordoned vase shelf and the customer walkway, and record the shelf hazard status from the Incident and Hazard Register.
Sketch a display concept with a spring colour story, a focal point, a supporting product range at three price points and a plan for the front table, within the display budget.
Prepare a stock and props list with costs and confirm it against the budget, using flowering gum and waratah for longevity in the sun and roses and snapdragons where they are shaded.
Build the display safely: use the step platform not a chair, keep water off the floor, secure vessels against knocks, and follow the Tool Safety and Manual Handling Procedure.
Ticket every product in and around the display with clear GST inclusive prices and descriptions, and ensure the sympathy and everyday ranges remain easy to find.
Write a daily maintenance routine for the display: water top-ups, recutting, removal of tired stems, and a refresh date, and hand it to the Retail Manager.
Photograph the finished display for the online store and social media and note the photographs in the Order Book as a marketing entry for the week.

My notes: what did I enjoy, and what surprised me?

What someone in this role would produce

A display concept sketch with colour story and price points
A costed stock and props list within budget
Photographs of the finished window and front table
A written daily maintenance routine

Printing this is a record of what you explored. It is not a certificate or a qualification.