1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.

Last updated

1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.
Company type Public
Nasdaq:  FLWS (Class A)
Russell 2000 Component
Industry Retail
Founded1976;48 years ago (1976)
Founder James McCann
Headquarters Jericho, New York, United States
Key people
Products
  • Flowers
  • Gift baskets
  • Plants
  • Food
  • Collectibles
Subsidiaries Harry & David
Website 1800flowersinc.com

1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. [1] is a floral and foods gift retailer and distribution company in the United States. The company's focus, except for Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, is on gift baskets. They also use the name 1-800-Baskets.com. [1] Their use of "coyly self-descriptive telephone numbers" is part of founder James McCann's business model. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Founding and early years

The concept of using the word "flowers" within a phoneword was originated by William Alexander in the early 1980s. The phone number, 1-800-356-9377, had been randomly assigned to a trucking brokerage in Wisconsin owned by Curtis Jahn and was used for that company until 1981. In an agreement with Jahn that would later be sharply contested, Granville Semmes and David Snow formed a Louisiana corporation that began to use that number to sell flowers in Louisiana, starting in 1982. [4] The use of the number would trigger a series of lawsuits. [4] Their business struggled and that company was dissolved, with its assets going to investors James Poage and John Davis of Texas. The new corporation struggled financially as well. [4] Its assets were acquired in 1986 by McCann, an owner of several flower shops in the New York City area since 1976, under whom the business saw success and growth. [5]

In 1994, the company bought Conroy's Flowers. [6] The 1800flowers.com domain name was registered on September 1, 1995. [7]

In May 2006, Alpine Confections Inc. brands including Fannie May Confections, Fannie Farmer and Harry London Candies were purchased for $85 million. [8]

In September 2007, it announced a partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to produce a line of floral products inspired by Martha Stewart. [9]

According to the Consumerist in 2008, customers reported unknowingly being subscribed to a "membership" called LiveWell after receiving rebate checks from 1-800-Flowers. [10]

It had 4000 employees as of 2008, with a market cap of US$119 million. [11]

In 2009, revenue was US$714 million. [12] Operating income was US$72.2 million, [12] net income was US$98.4 million, [12] assets were valued at US$286 million, [13] and equity was at 134 million. [13]

In March 2017, Fannie May and Harry London were sold to Ferrero SpA for $115 million. [14]

Acquisitions

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Quenqua, Douglas (December 22, 2009). "Bringing Bouquets and Gift Baskets Together". The New York Times .
  2. ↑ Elliott, Stuart (September 24, 1993). "The Media Business: Advertising -- Addenda; Teleway Shifts Accounts to McCann". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Ketcham, Diane (September 13, 1992). "ABOUT LONG ISLAND; At the Other End of the 800 Toll-Free Line". The New York Times.
  4. 1 2 3 CURTIS P. JAHN and CAPITOL WAREHOUSING CORPORATION, Plaintiffs, v. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, INC., FRESH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC. and 800-FLOWERS, INC.(District Court for the Western District of WisconsinJuly 23, 2001), Text .
  5. ↑ Libetti, Robert (July 19, 2012). "How 1-800-Flowers Went From A Storefront Flower Shop To A $700 Million Business". Business Insider .
  6. ↑ Smith, Richard D. (January 8, 1995). "From One Little Shop, an 800-Flowers Garden Grows". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 22, 2021.
  7. ↑ "WHOIS page". Network Solutions. November 6, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Sweet success: Fannie May back after bankruptcy". Daily Herald . Associated Press. November 28, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  9. ↑ "1-800-Flowers.com, Martha Stewart Living in tie-up". Reuters. September 20, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  10. ↑ "1800flowers Dupes You Into Signing Up For "LiveWell" For $11.99 Per Month". The Consumerist . Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Company Profile for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc (FLWS)". Zenobank. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  12. 1 2 3 1-800 Flowers.com (FLWS) annual SEC income statement filing via Wikinvest
  13. 1 2 1-800 Flowers.com (FLWS) annual SEC balance sheet filing via Wikinvest
  14. ↑ Channick, Robert (March 17, 2017). "Italian maker of Nutella buys Fannie May". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  15. ↑ Goins, Tony (March 11, 2005). "1-800-Flowers to buy Cheryl & Co". Columbus Business First. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ "1-800-Flowers.com buys DesignPac Gifts". Multichannelmerchant.com. June 1, 2008.
  17. ↑ "FORM 10-K". Securities & Exchange Commission. 2010.
  18. ↑ "FORM 10-K". Securities & Exchange Commission. 2013.
  19. ↑ Wassel, Bryan (August 5, 2019). "1-800-FLOWERS.COM Acquires Shari's Berries For $20.5 Million". Retailtouchpoints.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019.
  20. ↑ Blair, Adam (August 3, 2020). "1-800-FLOWERS Finalizes $245 Million Personalization Mall Acquisition". Retailtouchpoints.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020.
  21. ↑ Blank, Christine (October 28, 2021). "1-800-Flowers acquires Vital Choice". Seafoodsource.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022.
  22. ↑ "1-800-Flowers.com acquires Alice's Table lifestyle operation". Retailcustomerexperience.com. January 14, 2022. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022.
  23. ↑ PYMNTS (May 2, 2023). "1-800-FLOWERS.COM Buys SmartGift to Expand Gifting Capabilities - PYMNTS.com 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Buys SmartGift to Expand Gifting Capabilities" . Retrieved November 13, 2023.
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