Miami, February 10, 2015
110 Million Flowers Flow through UPS Global Logistics Network
Business is blooming leading up to Valentine’s Day. To get flowers, steaks, sweets and gifts to businesses and consumers by Feb. 14th it takes a global logistics network helping Cupid.
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is shipping more than 110 million flowers, which equals 10 million pounds, to love birds around the United States. Many of the blossoms come from Latin American countries, primarily Colombia and Ecuador. More than 90 percent of the imported flowers will travel through Miami International Airport where UPS is the largest air cargo carrier. UPS will add 40 additional flights to and from Latin America.
According to the National Retail Federation, consumers are expected to spend an average of $142 on Valentine’s gifts, of that, $41 will be used to buy flowers. U.S. consumers are projected to spend almost $19 billion on Valentine’s gifts.
“Meeting our customers’ needs is at the heart of what we do,” said Jose Acosta, UPS Americas Region president of Latin American Operations and Public Affairs. “This year we’re transporting more than 200,000 boxes of flowers in temperature-controlled aircraft.” Flowers will stay fresh in a 27,000 square-foot refrigerated warehouse at the UPS air cargo facility in Miami where they are inspected and sorted for travel to their final destination.
Read more: ups.com