Flowers Trade Your Way to the USA

I'm Saira Khan, a successful businesswoman.

I started trading as a teenager.

Now I'm looking for the next generation of budding entrepreneurs

who are fantastic at trading and know how to make a profit.

I'm looking for Britain's best young traders.

Will you do three for £2?

-Can I interest you in only 50p for the jumbo sword?

-Yes.

-No!

From over 1,000 applicants, 14 teams have made it through to the heats.

-Would you like a pick 'n' mix fruit dessert?

-Very nice. Oh, lovely.

They will be tested in a range of tough trading challenges.

I don't know how I'll survive this cheese challenge.

I think you look amazing.

Each team will be given £75.

They must decide what to buy...

I think we need to look for a cheaper option.

-..negotiate the lowest prices...

-It's a deal.

-£8.40?

-You drive a hard bargain.

Nice doing business with you.

..and then they must sell, sell, sell.

Any ring you want. £10.

Come on, glitzy glam!

The team that takes the most money wins the challenge.

But only the teams that top the leaderboard

could be in with a chance of competing

in the grand final in New York.

Trade your way to the USA! USA!

Watch them in action, listen out for my top trading tips and one day

you, too, could trade your way to the USA.

It's time to meet today's two teams.

Both are from Birmingham.

It's the Camphillian Traders versus the OAPS.

We're the Camphillian Traders and we'll trade our way to the USA!

We think we make a good team cos we've got a variety of talents

and good personalities.

Hi, I'm Jade. I've been doing ballet since I was five.

It takes discipline, hard work and dedication to come in at this level.

I think I'll be able to apply these to the competition to hopefully win.

I'm Jessica, and I'm into IT and computing.

It takes logic and patience to develop your knowledge.

I'll use logic and patience to develop the best plan to win.

To play the piano, you need passion.

I hope to bring that to the competition

so we can be better than the other teams.

Fighting talk from the Camphillian Traders,

but what about their competition...

the OAPs?

Basically, it means Oscar, Arjan and Pip.

It also means Old Age Pensioners.

-So we can make the world think we're old.

-That'll be our trick,

everyone thinking we're old people,

but actually we're not - we're young and feisty.

Arjan and twin brothers Oscar and Pip reckon they've got the skills

to make up a good business team.

Give us yer money!

I've got an ability to talk to people

so I'll just talk and talk

and I'll get friendly with them and be like, "You can buy this."

They'll be like, "Yeah, yeah!" and just carry on talking.

I'm a very geeky person. Strangely, I like maths.

I know how to do lots of different divisions

and I can do it quickly in my head.

My maths skills will be handy in a trading situation,

where I have to choose the best product.

I'm quite a funny, optimistic person,

which I think will really be good for the team

because I can make people laugh so they feel comfortable around me,

comfortable enough to buy the product.

So we've got a chatterbox, a brainbox and a comedian.

We are very persuasive people, we hope.

-We think.

-We know!

-Yeah, we know!

So it's the wacky OAPS taking on the clear-headed Camphillian Traders.

Which team will take the most money and win today's challenge?

Today, our teams are out and about in the centre of Birmingham.

Let's reveal today's challenge.

Welcome, everybody. Your trading challenge is to set up

a flower stall in one of Britain's top tourist cities -

Stratford-upon-Avon.

That's why we're here at Sunflower Cash & Carry in Birmingham.

There's flowers galore! Let's get in there!

There's a huge range of flowers to choose from here.

Camphillian Traders and the OAPs have to pick the right ones

to sell on their stall in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The historic market town is the birthplace of William Shakespeare

and it attracts thousands of visitors.

I was slightly nervous when I was set the challenge because...

we're facing girls and they know more about flowers than us.

I think the team are confident,

cos we're more girly and flowers are more of a girl subject.

It's time to buy. Both teams have a £75 trade fund to spend.

Here's your trading fund.

Spend it wisely and remember you're in competition with each other.

The team that makes the most money wins

and has a chance to go to the semifinal.

Win THAT and you'll be trading your way to the USA.

First rule of trading is research.

Russell runs the flower warehouse and they can pick his brains.

Which are the top-three best-selling plants?

Best are probably roses, Chrysants and Gerberas.

-Do you know what they are?

-No.

Chrysants on the back wall, roses to the right

and Gerberas are over there.

Good question, Oscar.

My top tip to all you traders - try and find the best-selling product.

Then you know you've got what your customers are looking for.

-Don't buy orchids.

-We're not buying.

Camphillian Traders get picking straight away.

these are...10.80.

We could sell them for a higher price.

But what are the OAPs doing?

Come on, boys! You've only got 15 minutes!

I think they'll look nice mixed with other bunches of flowers.

-There's 25p per...thing.

-Per flower?

-Yeah.

How many flowers do we need?

-I think ten.

-Ten?

-Yeah.

-Cos that's only £3.50.

The Camphillian Traders have an interesting plan

for how to sell their flowers.

We're planning to do a pick-a-bunch.

You have a selection of flowers laid out

and then we might buy some baskets

for them to pick which flowers they want.

Ah! So they plan to let their customers make their own bouquets.

The OAPs, on the other hand, have decided to follow Russell's advice

and just buy the most popular flowers.

What we going to get?

Er...two lots of roses.

-Yeah.

-And then we'll get, er...

-four Germans.

-Gerberas!

Hey, boys, that strategy may have its advantages.

Here's a top tip - in business, you don't always have to take risks.

Sometimes it's best to keep it simple.

We just need decorations now.

The girls are now looking at buying the wrapping for their flowers.

We plan to spend £50 and £25 on decorations.

You could get one of them and one of them.

Presentation IS important when selling flowers,

but I'm not sure about spending £25 on it.

That'll be a third of their budget that could be spent on flowers.

-Let's look at the other boxes.

-Shall we get this?

The boys take just seconds to decide on the packaging.

-We don't want that.

-Yeah, we don't need those.

Comes to about £12.64.

£12.64 on packaging?

That's just half the amount the girls are planning to spend.

It looks like the boys are going to sell flowers without nice wrapping.

We want the prices as low as possible

so we can get more flowers and sell more.

I think we have a good advantage

cos the only time boys buy flowers are for girls.

We can say, "Girls like this more" and sell it for a higher price.

Don't be TOO confident, Camphillian Traders.

The OAPs aren't beaten yet.

Time's up on deciding what to buy.

Now they've got to negotiate with Russell.

Remember, they've got £75 to spend.

They need to haggle for the best prices now,

so they can take the most money when they sell tomorrow.

The Camphillian Traders are up first.

-3.75. Can we get this for £3? It's 3.75.

-3.70?

2.90.

Hang on a minute! The Camphillian Traders just offered him £3.

Now they've gone down to £2.90.

Negotiating, you're supposed to start low and go up!

-3.60?

-2.80.

Now they're offering £2.80?!

THEY LAUGH

Very strange!

eventually, they settle for £3.15.

But the Camphillian Traders are haggling with Russell on everything!

This is 9.60. Can we get it for £9?

Go on, then. £9.

10.80. Can we have it for 10?

Er...10.50?

9.90.

this is 4.50. Can we have it for £4?

Er...

-4.10?

-£4.

How much is this?

Can we have this two-for-one?

-OK.

-Can we get this for, maybe, 90p?

they're spending a lot of money on accessories, like...

ribbon and film.

9.22. Can we have it for...8.80?

-£9?

-8.80.

-8.90.

8.90. OK, yeah.

That's quite a lot of money, Camphillian Traders.

I hope you've enough to buy flowers!

15 minutes later, they're still haggling and fighting with Russell

over the pennies.

-4.45?

-4.40.

-4.43?

-4.40.

4.42?

4.40.

4.40.

Nice work, girls.

(Bingo!)

The Camphillian Traders have managed to get around £20 discount

on their flowers.

Now THAT'S what I call haggling!

You have to try and haggle down and stick to your guns

and that's what they did.

Going with Russell's choices of the most popular flowers,

the OAPs are sticking to the basics and keeping it simple.

-How much are these?

-Those are £1.40.

1.40. I think that's reasonable. We'll keep that.

Hang on a minute, what did Oscar just say?!

-I think that's reasonable. We'll keep that.

-£1.40.

-We'll just keep that.

You're not negotiating, Oscar.

they just accepted the price because it was cheap in the first place.

You always try and get a discount.

Next we've got...some roses, which are £12.

could we get them for £11.50?

Go on, then - 11.50.

Come on, boys. You can do better than that!

Iris blue magic, which are 7.50. Could we get them for £7? £7.10?

Don't push up the price before he makes a counter offer, Oscar.

-7.20?

-Yeah, we'll go with 20.

-7.20, yep.

-Gerberas.

-Gerberas, which are £6.

-Shall we get that lower?

-Get about £5.

-£5.50 for the Gerberas.

-Yeah, shall we keep that?

-Yeah, do.

Next up, it's a big bunch of Gypsophilas.

-How much is this, then?

-That is £12.50.

11.50?

-11.60.

-11.60, yeah.

-11.60. Go on, then.

-Yes!

-We have a deal?

-Yep.

-Yep.

-Yep. OK.

The OAPs have managed to get £10 off their flowers -

just half the Camphillian Traders' £20 discount.

In a negotiation you've got to be persistent and cheeky,

as I know the OAPs can be, but they haven't been in this instance.

As a result, they've walked away, perhaps,

with not as much discount as they could have got,

and not as many flowers as they could have bought.

What's this? The OAPs aren't leaving?

Oscar's looking for some last-minute insider tips from Russell.

What do you think would go best together?

Er, nicest out of those, I'd say...

a couple of roses in together with a bit of Gypsophila in the middle

and maybe one or two Gerberas just to fill it in.

I think that'd look quite nice.

That's clever, Oscar - making the most of Russell's expert knowledge.

Buying is over,

so what have the teams bought to sell on their stalls tomorrow?

The Camphillian Traders have ten types of flowers for pick 'n' mix.

That's £55 of their budget.

They've gone big on packaging,

spending £20 on ribbons, gift cards and boxes.

The OAPs have spent £65 on just four kinds of flowers,

and £10 on basic wrapping.

So it's the fancily decorated pick 'n' mix of Camphillian Traders

versus the OAPs smaller bouquets with no frills.

Now it's all about who sells best.

Only one team will win and still be in with a chance

of trading their way to the USA

to become Britain's best young traders.

Let the battle commence.

Today we're here at Stratford-upon-Avon,

birthplace of William Shakespeare, and there are thousands of visitors.

So let's hope the Camphillian Traders and the OAPs

have polished their acting skills, because they have to perform.

Today is all about selling.

The team that makes the most money wins the challenge

and has a chance of the semifinal.

Win THAT and you'll be trading your way to the USA.

Now, are you ready to sell?

-ALL: Yeah!

-Let's go set up our stalls.

They have just three hours to sell,

so the pressure's on to get their stalls ready.

How do you spell "bouquets"? B-O-U-Q-U-E-S?

U-E-T-S.

We need to save all the flowers.

The OAPs are selling just four types of flowers in small bouquets,

but they aren't sure how much to charge for them.

-£7.

-What?

-6.99.

-I'll work it out. Is that a Gerbera?

-Yeah.

-OK.

5.50. How many are in there?

Oscar's at it again - doing some more last-minute research.

How much do you think you'd pay for some flowers like this?

I'd say about...£3.50.

-Do you think they're very nice or...?

-They've very pretty, colourful.

-OK.

We got a good response and that's good.

We know what we should be paying for it.

How much time have we got left?

With preparation time running out, the Camphillian Traders

are nowhere near ready for business.

It should keep it in place.

We'll make some bouquets and we'll leave some for pick 'n' mix

so people can chose their own.

The Chrysanthemum's got too many leaves,

so we're having trouble putting the bouquet together.

I'm very concerned - Camphillian Traders

have wasted a lot of their planning and preparation time

cutting the ends of their flowers. That's totally unnecessary.

They should have used the time

to create their bouquets and think about their pricing.

Write "Pick 'n' mix" in big letters.

I'm feeling a bit under pressure cos time is ticking.

With minutes before they open, the girls decide on their prices.

They've also some ready-made bouquets for £5.50.

The OAPs are selling their smaller bouquets for £3.50 each.

It's almost time for the teams to sell,

but who's bought the right flowers to bring in the most cash?

The prices are set, the crowds are here. It's time to trade.

Teams, are you ready?

ALL: Yes!

Start selling!

Flowers, anyone? Lovely summer flowers!

Only today!

It looks like the girls have got off to a great start.

Someone's just bought flowers from the girls for £5!

Every time they sell, they're selling two of ours, effectively.

That's quite worrying.

With Camphillian Traders starting better,

the OAPs decide to change tactics.

With their lighter bouquets,

Oscar realises he can take them to the customers.

3.50. Only today.

-Would you like to buy any flowers?

-How much are they?

-3.50.

Terrific. Thank you very much.

'I think it's just come naturally to me.'

I was born with the talent!

There we go.

The only problem selling away from the stall

is that it's a long way back to get change!

-Lovely.

-6.50, is that right?

-That looks about right.

HE PANTS

The more, the better. So I've got to keep going.

Make more sales and beat the girls!

Now it's Camphillian Traders who have slowed down!

And I think I can see why.

Special discount!

They've put all the beautiful flowers behind the stall

where nobody can see them and some are getting damaged.

That's just lost money.

Great - someone is interested in their pick 'n' mix bouquets.

We can do a special discount for 3.50

for three roses and some decorations.

This lady's looking a bit confused at all the choice.

You can get five flowers and some decoration.

Keep it simple.

At the OAPs' stall, Pip is nervous about going out to sell,

so he's busy making more bouquets.

My main job here is to wrap the flowers, as I've just started

and to ask people who walk by if they want to buy any,

which, so far, we haven't had any luck with.

Oscar's still selling away form the stall,

and his tactic has been spotted by Camphillian Traders.

Look! They're making smaller bouquets as well!

We took out a few stems to make more bouquets.

If we have less stems, we can sell them for less.

Hopefully more people will buy them.

Camphillian Traders have a new plan -

sell away from the stall like the OAPs.

-Would you like any flowers?

-Sorry.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, girls. Good luck!

But the problem with two sets of traders doing the same thing

is that you can clash.

OK, which is the best price, then?

-We'll do £3.

-We'll do £4.

-£3.

-£4.

Well, I've got...£10 so if I have one of your £3

and one of your £4.

This lady can't decide, so she buys from both teams.

We could do £5.

With one hour left,

both teams are concentrating on selling directly to the customer.

They're very sharp.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We're think we're equal to the boys at the moment. We're not sure.

-What's his name?

-Finlay.

-Thank you, Finlay!

If you're polite, they're more likely to buy

because you're polite and kind and nice.

Thank you. Thank you SO much!

Camphillian Traders have found a new lease of life!

they've nearly sold all their flowers and it's fantastic!

Well done, girls!

With the Camphillian Traders all out selling,

Arjan and Pip need to help Oscar.

-Would you like to buy some flowers?

-No, thanks.

It's not something Pip has been looking forward to.

But look - he's out.

-They're only £3.50.

-That's good.

-Go on, then. You can buy some.

He's done it.

-I'll get your change.

-Thank you very much.

Yesterday, I felt I wouldn't be able to sell anything to anyone.

But I've sold two bouquets so far, so it's getting better.

Selling something to the public isn't easy,

and it's great Pip's proved he can do it.

And Arjan's being a persistent salesman, too.

Find a victim... I mean customer!

-Would you like some flowers?

-No, thanks.

-I need to sell them all

so I can win a competition.

-Yes?

-Yeah.

Thank you.

Money box really coming in handy.

It's a great help to Oscar, who's just sold this man three bouquets.

I sold three bouquets for 5.50. We just need to sell them.

It looks like the boys will do anything to sell.

# We're selling you flowers Cos we wanna win. #

-£3.

-£3 change?

-Come on.

-£3.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

We've shifted almost all of our flowers. We've got a few roses left.

But what's going on here?

There's an opportunity for the girls to get more stock.

A man who bought three bouquets off Oscar decided he doesn't want them.

Thank you.

You've just bought some flowers from the boys and sold them to the girls?

Did you make any money?

No.

It's a good job you're not on our show -

you wouldn't be going to the USA!

THEY LAUGH

It doesn't take Jess long to sell them, making another £2.25 profit.

OK, let's go.

Everything has to go, everything's on a discount now!

They're only 3.30.

With just ten minutes to go, it's neck-and-neck,

as both teams are going all-out to tempt people to buy.

But with no flowers left, the Camphillian Traders

are now stuck with boxes and gift cards that haven't sold.

Shall we sell the boxes?

That's great - Jade's selling off the boxes and gift cards,

which may make all the difference between winning and losing.

Let's sell it.

It's now a race to the finish line -

the teams use their last few minutes to sell everything they have.

Thank you.

78, how about that?

-That's a bonus. We don't want change.

-Oh, thank you!

I'll take the box and the ribbon, please.

There you go.

Selling time is over!

It's been a tight competition,

'but it's now time to find out who's taken the most money.'

The winners today could go through to the big New York final,

where they'll compete against another team

to be named Britain's best young traders.

OAPs, Camphillian Traders, your selling day is over,

it's been very busy.

What did you enjoy about today?

I just enjoyed the whole selling part and when we got near the end,

I really enjoyed having to get the best bargain.

Going up to people and seeing how they react to you.

-You were really persistent.

-Yeah.

-Why? Are you always persistent?

Not always. It's my first time doing something like this.

Yesterday I thought, we'll never sell anything but we sold lots

and I was really happy.

Well done. It's something you didn't want to do, but you did try.

Excellent. What about you, Camphillian Traders?

I found the last part more interesting.

We were selling more bargains and selling cheaper so more people came.

that's when we sold the most flowers - we sold out.

We had a few "did that really happen?" moments

when we sold the box and ribbon.

Well done. That's clever selling.

Teams, remember, whoever makes the most money wins

and has the chance at the semifinal.

Win THAT and you'll be trading your way to the USA.

the losing team will be eliminated.

Camphillian Traders.

You took...

..£82.18.

OAPs.

You took...

-£86...

-YES! YES!

OAPS CHEER

I am feeling amazing.

I feel so happy and glad that we've won this round.

Fantastic! That was very, very close.

The girls were really good traders and it was close - like £3 off.

Camphillian Traders, have you enjoyed yourselves?

ALL: Yeah.

Listen, I know you lost but you did turn it around

and that's what matters. Well done.

To win this is just amazing!

I feel like we're one step closer to the USA.

So the OAPs have won. With the £75, they took £86.98.

That's an £11.98 profit.

And they're the first team to go up on the leaderboard.

Only the four winning teams who make the most money

get through to the semifinals.

The two best teams will go on to compete in the grand New York final.

Trade your way to the USA!

Who will become Britain's best young traders?

Next time on Trade Your Way To The USA...

two teams battle it out in a medieval challenge.

10p for a flag. 10p for a hammer.

-Will it be all that glitters for a princess...

-Buy one tiara, you get one free.

..or hats to fill a king's royal court?

Suits you.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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