An Ellesmere Port florist is looking to the future.

Steve Corcoran from Blooming Lovely on Chester Road, Whitby, has returned from a trip with a company called Florismart to Holland.

He joined nearly 30 fellow florists, exporters, growers, industry experts and staff from Florismart, which describes itself as the world’s first online flower market bringing together exporters, wholesalers and growers.

The aim is to give independent florists easier access to flowers grown all around the world and local suppliers.

Steve says he spoke to Dutch suppliers and was delighted to be able to put faces to the names of some of the growers he uses regularly in the shop and fellow florists from the UK.

He believes the initiative is the future of flower buying for florists enabling a group of 12 exporters and wholesalers to sell their products in a shopping centre which brings the biggest names together under one roof.

Steve said: “This means we can search the market for the right quality, stem length and weight for the best possible price.”

The outcome is he can buy the best flowers for the job in hand.

Steve runs the shop in Whitby village with his wife Dawn.