Coles celebrates mums
Four out of five Aussies are planning to celebrate Mother’s Day this year, according to a survey conducted by Coles last month.
Coles Chief Customer Officer, Amanda McVay, said the supermarket is expecting a surge in demand as Mother’s Day approaches and explained how the retailer is committed to being the top destination for customers looking to find the perfect gift for mum this year.
“Spoiling mums is a cherished tradition that brings families closer, and this year, we’re offering incredible value across the store to help customers save both time and money,” she said. “Whether it’s finding the perfect gift or preparing a delicious homemade meal, we’ve got you covered.
“This year we’re expecting to see record demand for flowers, and we’re very excited to unveil an expertly and thoughtfully curated collection of bespoke floral arrangements designed to delight mums of all kinds, and the Coles customers shopping for them,” said Ms McVay .
Mum’s the word
The Brisbane Flower Market, Queensland’s largest hub for wholesale and retail flowers, is anticipating high demand, with Mother’s Day the busiest day of the year for flower orders– surpassing even Valentine’s Day.
In the lead-up to Mother’s Day, the Brisbane Flower Market will be flooded with colour and fragrance as tulips, dahlias, carnations, roses, sunflowers, lisianthus – and of course, chrysanthemums – flow into storage rooms and are created into stunning arrangements.
Chrysanthemums have become synonymous with Mother’s Day in Australia. Sometimes they are even called ‘mums’ for short! They are bright, colourful and bloom profusely in Australia’s mild Autumn conditions, perfect for the second weekend in May.
“Mother’s Day is all about chrysanthemums in all their beautiful varieties, but of course there are many other options available too,” said Brisbane Markets Limited Communications Manager, Ann Robins.
“A huge range of seasonal bouquets featuring stunning brights or pastels in every shade will be on offer. There is something to suit every preference and make every mum feel truly special.”
The Brisbane Flower Market will be open for normal trading hours on Friday, 9 May, from 5am to 3pm. Over the Mother’s Day weekend extended trading hours will apply on Saturday, 10 May from 6am to 3pm and on Sunday, 11 May from 6am to 1pm.
Spend forecast
ANZ shoppers could spend up to $569m during the 2025 Mother’s Day weekend, a projected growth of 2.5% on the previous year, according to ANZ customer data.
Food, clothing, personal beauty, and jewellery have again been tipped as key spending categories for the year, making up around 41% of total spending in 2024.
ANZ expects Victorian customers to spend up to $158m, followed by NSW (up to $147m), with the highest Year-on-Year (YoY) growth expected to be seen across airlines, duty-free stores, personal health, and photographic equipment.
“Australians are set to spend generously and spoil their mums this Mother’s Day, with data showing a trend in wining and dining experiences,” said ANZ Managing Director Everyday Banking, Yiken Yang.
“We expect food, takeaway, wineries and bottle shops will continue to dominate customer spending this year – a promising sign for businesses and traders across the country.
“Conversely, while we still expect them to be popular places for customers to spend, we do anticipate some reduction in spend in flower shops, department stores, jewellery stores, and clothing stores,” Mr Yang said.
In 2024, florists saw a drop of 5.22% in spend compared to the prior year but still experienced an additional $3.1m compared to a normal weekend.
For a second year in the row, men spent more in total on Mother’s Day, with an average spend of $131. Gen X spent the most ($189m), followed by Millennials ($184m). While Gen Z spent the least ($78m), however they had the highest yearly increase of 15%.
2024 data also showed that customers spent the most between 9am and 6pm, with 28% of spend coming from the hours between 12pm and 2pm.
