Flowrette: the French small business hit by BHV’s unpaid invoices launches legal action and a “manifesto bouquet” to survive
Press release Paris / Nantes, 3 February 2026
Flowrette, the French sustainable flower brand known for its handcrafted creations and its commitment to producing better, today announces a major crisis. Having left its showroom at BHV Marais last August, the company reveals that it has been facing tens of thousands of euros in unpaid invoices from the retailer for more than a year, putting its future and its relocation plans at risk.
Beyond the retail crisis: a question of survival and ethics
While several brands have recently announced their departure from department stores, citing the rise of fast fashion or changing consumer habits, Flowrette is choosing complete transparency. For the small business, leaving was not a positioning strategy but a direct consequence of massive unpaid invoices that drained its cash flow.
"We did not leave as a strategic choice, but out of a need to survive," explain Margot and Vincent Morio, who run Flowrette. "You cannot, on the one hand, lament that production is moving to China and that French retail is collapsing and, on the other, treat local small businesses with such contempt. When a retail giant refuses to pay a small business, it is not just making an accounting error: it is strangling French craftsmanship."
Unprecedented legal action
Flowrette reveals that it tried, in good faith, to save the partnership. On the promise that the debts would be settled quickly, the retailer pushed the brand to restock and to keep its showroom open. Flowrette honoured its commitments, but the payments never came. The result: a colossal loss of stock and a gaping hole in its cash flow.
Faced with this situation, Flowrette's directors announce that they are bringing legal action not only against BHV, but also proceedings directly against its head, Frédéric Merlin. A rare and forceful step, intended to defend the respect owed to the small players in the French economy. Flowrette refuses to become a silent "collateral victim".
A call for support: "Supporting a small business is an act of activism"
Despite this ordeal, Flowrette is not giving up. The company is in the middle of relocating, with the opening of a new workshop near Nantes, a symbol of its determination to keep quality know-how local.
To turn this crisis into a wave of solidarity, Flowrette is today launching "Le Franc-Parler", a blue, white and red bouquet. This manifesto bouquet, sold at a support price, lets customers show that they stand behind the brand's approach and directly fund the safeguarding of jobs and the relocation of production near Nantes.
"We have always wanted to do things properly, with transparency and respect. Supporting a small business means accepting a model that is different from the global e-commerce giants. We do not have their automated logistics, but we have a soul, and we create value and jobs here. Today, we are fighting for that model. Every order placed on our site today is a vote for Flowrette to keep existing, and proof that it is still possible to produce and consume sustainably in France."
PRESS CONTACT
Emeline Sartorio +33 6 71 07 33 44
presse@flowrette.com
About Flowrette
Flowrette is a French company reinventing interior decoration around the sustainable flower (dried and preserved flowers, paper flowers, artificial flowers and floral decor). Combining aesthetics with creativity, the brand champions craftsmanship of the highest standard. Now relocating to its new workshop near Nantes, Flowrette embodies a vision of slower, fairer and resolutely local consumption.