Florists should prepare for a boom in flower sales over the course of the World Cup as men will be buying plenty of bouquets to apologise for neglecting their partners, a new survey has found.

During the course of the tournament British men are set to spend £4.25 million on apology gifts, a spokesman for the Flower Council of Holland said. The research suggests the average man will say sorry seven times to their loved ones during the four-week period.

According to the survey, which was conducted with 1,000 adults, 33 per cent of women prefer receiving their favourite flowers as an apology gift.

Almost a quarter of women like getting chocolates and only 15 per cent enjoy being taken out for a meal.

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