AT a time when consumers' budgets are stretched and even supermarkets deliver flowers, a Notts businesswoman has increased her family firm's turnover to more than £5m.

Dani Hoving, who is only 28, took over as managing director of Bunches in May 2006, having previously been head of marketing.

While big companies such as Interflora may be more widely known, Dani says she has made her firm more competitive by emphasising the quality of its service and products.

"It's a very simple business principle, doing what we say we are going to do," says Dani.

"Our flowers are all packaged and dispatched from one location, so our staff are able to maintain high levels of quality control."

The company also refuses to outsource.

"We are passionate about quality and excellent service, and all our flowers receive the Bunches stamp before they are sent out in Bunches-branded boxes," says Dani. "This is a family-run business and in response to customer feedback we are working hard to maintain our company's friendly feel."

And customers keep coming back.

"Once people have used us, 60 per cent use us again, so we have a very high repeat rate," Dani says.

Dani took over Bunches from her parents Erik and Sandra, who founded it.

Since then, she has powered it to 35 staff and record profits. Bunches has doubled the size of its production facilities and now dispatches 320,000 bouquets every year from its Newstead Village headquarters.

One of Dani's ideas was to relaunch the company's website, at www.bunches.co.uk.

She has also benefited from joining the chief executives' organisation Vistage International, which she did to improve her leadership skills. She uses her fellow members, all from non-competing sectors, as a confidential sounding board.

Another idea has been to introduce a staff reward system, which has improved recruitment and retention rates.

In the meantime, Dani is busy making preparations for her own wedding on December 27.

"Bunches are doing the flowers," she laughs.