CARLE PLACE, N.Y. — 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., the world's leading florist and gift shop, announced that it has made an equity investment in Flores Online, one of Brazil's leading floral and gift retailers. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has teamed with San Paolo, Brazil-based BR Opportunities, which has also taken an equity stake in Flores Online.
Jim McCann, Founder and CEO, said, "As the world's leading Florist and Gift Shop, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM is in the business of delivering smiles for our customers. We believe this mission transcends geographic and cultural borders and, increasingly, our customers expect us to help them with their social expressions both locally and around the world. That is why we are very excited to be partnering with Flores Online, one of Brazil's and, indeed South America's, leading floral and gift retailers. We are especially pleased to be working with Eduardo Casarini and his family, the founders of Flores Online, because they share both our family business culture and our passion for engaging directly with our customers to build deep and lasting relationships."
McCann added that, "This investment also offers us the opportunity to work with Carlos Miranda and his San Paolo, Brazil-based BR Opportunities private equity fund. Carlos is someone whose business acumen and style I have long admired. Together with Eduardo Casarini and his family, we have formed a team that, we believe, will be able to leverage our combined assets and expertise to build an even stronger and more prosperous Flores Online business in what is one of the most exciting economies in the world today."
About 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.
1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is the world's leading florist and gift shop. For more than 30 years, 1-800-FLOWERS(R) (1-800-356-9377 or www.1800flowers.com ) has been helping deliver smiles for our customers with gifts for every occasion, including fresh flowers and the finest selection of plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections, candles, balloons and plush stuffed animals. As always, our 100% Smile Guarantee backs every gift. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM's Mobile Flower & Gift Center was named winner of the Mobile Shopping Summit's "BestMobile Site of 2011." 1-800-FLOWERS.COM was also rated number one vs. competitors for customer satisfaction by STELLAService and named by the E-Tailing Group as one of only nine online retailers out of 100 benchmarked to meet the criteria for Excellence in Online Customer Service. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has been honored in Internet Retailer's "Hot 100: America's Best Retail Web Sites" for 2011. The Company's BloomNet(R) international floral wire service ( www.mybloomnet.net ) provides a broad range of quality products and value-added services designed to help professional florists grow their businesses profitably. The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM "Gift Shop" also includes gourmet gifts such as popcorn and specialty treats from: The Popcorn Factory(R) (1-800-541-2676 or www.thepopcornfactory.com ); cookies and baked gifts from Cheryl's(R) (1-800-443-8124 or www.cheryls.com ); premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May(R) confections brands ( www.fanniemay.com and www.harrylondon.com ); gift baskets and towers from 1-800-Baskets.com(R) ( www.1800baskets.com ); incredible, carved fresh fruit arrangements from FruitBouquets.comsm ( www.fruitbouquets.com ); wine gifts from Winetasting.com(R) ( www.winetasting.com ); top quality steaks and chops from Stockyards.com ( www.stockyards.com ); as well as premium branded customizable invitations and personal stationery from FineStationery.com ( www.finestationery.com ). The Company's Celebrations(R) brand ( www.celebrations.com ) is a premier online destination for fabulous party ideas and planning tips. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is involved in a broad range of corporate social responsibility initiatives including continuous expansion and enhancement of its environmentally-friendly "green" programs as well as various philanthropic and charitable efforts. Shares in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, ticker symbol: FLWS.
About Flores Online
Flores Online is a pioneer and leading online flower and gift shop in Brazil. The brand was established in 1998 by the Casarini family amid the Internet boom in the country. Considered one of the most successful e-commerce companies in Brazil, Flores Online offers a broad range of personalized gifts with national delivery within 48 hours, including flowers, chocolates, sweets, drinks, and beauty items. On the company's web site ( www.floresonline.com.br ) customers can find premium brands such as Chandon, L'Occitane, Conception Well Married, Freixenet, Godiva, Steffi Confectionery, Saint Phylippe, Lindt, Cau Chocolates, Havanna, Jacquot, Cristallo, O & CO, Santa Maria Novella, Sparkkli Home Spa, Granado, Publisher Cosac Naify, Guinness and Erdinger.
About BR Opportunities
BR Opportunities — Growth Capital Investments is a private equity fund manager that drives emerging, high-impact companies for the improvement of Brazil. Its mission is to invest in high-impact organizations, accelerate their growth and transform them into effective leaders in their markets of operation. In pursuit of this goal, its strategy is to bring to these organizations management and professional governance, while enhancing their visibility, transparency and network of relationships. Founded in 2010 by Carlos Miranda, BR Opportunities believes in innovation, and sustainable, exponential growth as ways of arriving at a successful model.
Source: 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.