After two years of muted celebrations, lovers and businesspeople are glad to see a semblance of its return.
Love is back in the air. After almost two years of restrictions on travel, meeting and dining out, which is the essence of romance, Valentine’s Day this year is one that lovers and business people who exploit the accompanying emotions around it are only too glad to see.
In Nairobi, businesses have grabbed prime billboards and roadside advertising screens to market their special Valentine’s offers, from themed getaways, gift hampers, romantic dinners and chocolates and wines. On the street, window displays in shops are filled with red-themed gift hampers.
In the past two years of the global coronavirus pandemic, flower growers and exporters in Kenya suffered massive losses as all airlines stopped flying. Even when flowers reached foreign markets, there were no buyers.
Flower exporters are banking on Valentine’s sales to recoup some of their losses.
Karina Flowers, a wholesaler in Nairobi’s central business district, is a beehive of activity. Boxes of fresh flowers are piled high, ready to be sent to vendors across the city, and to the airport to be flown to towns outside Nairobi. The manager’s phone is ringing off the hook and the employees are at their maximum efficiency.
“This is the best season for this business. It will get busier as Valentine’s draws closer, to peak around February 13, 14 and 15,” said Fredrick Kelly, the manager at Karina Flowers.
This year, they will be selling a bouquet of red roses — 10 stems — to retailers at Ksh400 ($3.52), up from Ksh200 ($1.76) last year.
“The international demand for red roses is high, that is why prices have increased. I have contracted farmers who sell them to me at favourable prices,” Kelly said.
At the City Market, Nairobi’s leading flower retail and souvenir bazaar, Valentine’s has breathed life into the stalls that have been stocked in anticipation of increased traffic.
Peris Njeri, a flower retailer at the market, is optimistic that this year business will be good after a slump in the past two years, due to Covid-19 difficulties.
She is selling a bouquet of red roses, that previously retailed at Ksh400 ($3.52), at Ksh1,000 ($8.81), with a single red rose stem selling for Ksh100 ($0.88), up from Ksh50 ($0.44) last year.
Flower retailers aren’t the only traders in the city who are banking on Valentine’s to recover. Gift shops around the city have also come up with themed gifts and packages specifically for lovebirds.
Pablo Gift House, dealers in fast moving souvenirs, has assorted packages of wine, chocolate, flowers among other items fancied as gift or lover in their hampers that sell at between Ksh1,800 ($15.85) and Ksh5,000 ($44.03) jus for the Valentine’s period.
Pablo manager Paul Mwangi said, “I usually hire casual employees during this period to meet the high demand. We have already received so many pre-orders and I’ve already brought in more workers to handle packaging and delivery.”
Hotels and restaurants have not been left behind. The Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi, known for its high end offers, has dining offers and accommodation packages with champagne and spa treatment.
“The response to our Valentine’s offer is great so far,” said Judy Matengo, director of sales at the hotel.
But amidst the economic uncertainties brought on by the pandemic, is it wise to indulge in what some consider frivolous?
“It is only wise to spend surplus income on Valentine’s day. If you had set aside some money specifically for that event, spend it generously,” said Samuel Kanja, a certified life coach and financial trainer.