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January 28, 2008 |
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GROWING YOUR BUSINESS TOGETHER |
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contents
Teleflora Creates New Reality Television Series
Partnering up with NBC, Teleflora begins the search throughout the country to find America's favorite Mom
Sam's Club Adds Roses to Fair Trade Certified Products
'Green' Roses are ready to bloom at samsclub.com
1-800-Flowers.com Profit Increases, Outlook Decreases
Second quarter earnings rose 14% but 1-800-Flowers.com still cut its 2008 outlook
Saskatchewan Rules Out GST-PST Harmonization
Saving an estimated $400 million extra per year for taxpayers in that province
Member Alerts
Legislative alerts and notices
How to Snag a Guy in 10 Minutes, Be a Florist
A speed dating idea that got results
Philadelphia Paper Promotes Flowers in the Morning
Medical study shows people feel less anxious and depressed
Florists Cite Timing for Valentine's Day Success
This year Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday, usually an 'upbeat' day for florists
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teleflora creates new reality television series
Teleflora Creates New Reality Television Series, Partners with NBC for Nationwide Search to Find America’s Favorite Mom - Winner to be Crowned on NBC Primetime Television Special - REDBOOK Magazine Is Official Print Partner
In 1908, in the small town of Grafton, West Virginia, a tradition was born: Mother’s Day. Now, 100 years later, Teleflora, the world’s leading floral service, is commemorating a century full of motherly love by creating a new reality television series and partnering with NBC for a nationwide multimedia search to find America’s Favorite Mom. REDBOOK and Hearst Magazines are the national print partners.
Proud children and adults across the country can visit AmericasFavoriteMom.com to nominate their mothers for this prestigious award. Teleflora and NBC are looking for inspirational mothers from all walks of life: single moms, working moms, stay-at-home moms, unconventional moms and military moms who may be serving overseas or holding down the home front for those who are serving our country. Visitors to the website can upload videos, their favorite photos of mom and essay testimonials in support of their favorite mom. As part of the interactive experience, friends and families can vote for their favorite nominee and help their favorite mom win exclusive online prizes. Over 20,000 of Teleflora’s member florists will join the effort by sponsoring “America’s Favorite Mom” competitions in their local communities and reaching out to their PTAs, houses of worship, and other local organizations to collect nominations.
Once the nominations are collected, the top 15 nominees will appear on NBC’s highly-rated “Today Show” throughout the week before the primetime television special, and viewers will have the chance to vote for their favorite mom at the end of each show. The winning mom from each day of the week will be featured on “Teleflora presents America’s Favorite Mom,” a grand finale, one-hour primetime NBC television special airing on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008 at 7 p.m. EDT. The show will include guest appearances from a number of celebrity moms as well as the stories of famous mothers who have made history. At the end of the program, a celebrity host will crown one mom “America’s Favorite Mom” and name a rose in her honor. She will also receive thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, including an 18k gold heart-shaped America’s Favorite Mom pendant trimmed with dazzling diamonds.
Teleflora is also working with Redbook Magazine and the Hearst Family of Publications as its print partner for America’s Favorite Mom. Through this partnership, Redbook will engage readers to nominate their favorite moms, and will also be featuring special moms in upcoming issues.
“Whether it is 1908 or 2008, mothers remain the heart and soul of this country. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Mother’s Day, Teleflora wants to celebrate these unsung heroes in a unique way by creating an unprecedented search for America’s Favorite Mom,” said Lynda Resnick, chairman, Teleflora. “Partnering with NBC to create a primetime television special enables us to introduce these inspirational moms to America and engages the public to decide who should become America’s Favorite Mom.”
“Partnering with Teleflora and showcasing America's best moms on the 'Today' show creates the perfect platform to recognize these amazing women,” said Craig Plestis, executive vice president, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment. “We want to highlight America's favorite mothers on a grand scale and give them the spotlight they deserve.”
“REDBOOK is for and about moms who make a difference,” said editor-in-chief Stacy Morrison. “Partnering with Teleflora to find America’s Favorite Mom is a natural fit: our readers love their big, busy lives as moms; and as women, they live each day with joy, optimism, intelligence and style, and we celebrate their stories in our pages. We are looking forward to reading the nominations and to getting to meet even more extraordinary women doing amazing things for their families and their communities.”
The show will be produced by Reveille, creators of award-winning hit shows such as “The Office” and “Ugly Betty.” Teleflora and Reveille will share executive producing responsibilities.
“Moms are at the core of the American family,” said Mark Koops, Managing Director, Reveille, and executive producer of the primetime television special. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Teleflora and NBC to celebrate Mother’s Day in such a special way — by showcasing the most inspiring moms from across the country and crowning America’s Favorite Mom.”
As an extension to the America’s Favorite Mom search, an exclusive Teleflora “America’s Favorite Mom” bouquet has been designed for Mother’s Day. As with all of Teleflora’s bouquets, this unique bouquet will be hand-arranged and hand-delivered by a local Teleflora florist so moms everywhere can feel like “America’s Favorite Mom” on their special day. |
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sam's club® adds roses to fair trade certified™ products
'Green' Roses Ready to Bloom at samsclub.com
Romantics and fresh flower fans can now give or decorate with "green" roses that have been Fair Trade Certified™ and are available online at samsclub.com. While the classic rose colors are available, including red and pink for love, white for virtue and yellow for friendship, these roses are grown with special gratitude and love because farm employees benefit from Fair Trade standards that put proceeds back into (local/their) schools, medical services and housing.
"Sam's Club is a significant partner in our effort to expand the availability of Fair Trade Certified flowers to American consumers," explained Paul Rice, CEO of TransFair USA, the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States.
Unlike many flowers that may be delivered through a distribution center, Fair Trade Certified flowers ship directly from the farm. Direct shipping reduces stress on the flowers and reduces the number of miles each order travels, giving the roses more "vase" time.
"We are pleased to bring Fair Trade Certified Roses to our Members as a new tradition for their celebrations and we are confident the quality and value will add to the experience of giving or receiving a bouquet," said Scott Williams, Vice President of samsclub.com. "This complements our existing online and in-Club floral products as well as our sustainability efforts."
Sam's Club Fair Trade Certified roses are provided by InBloom Group, a Miami-based company that represents Fair Trade rose farms in Ecuador. "On top of wages, we give back 12 percent of our costs to an employee fund that our workers may use for education, medical care, housing or other needs. Earning the Fair Trade premium has turned our employees into partners, and growing roses into an act of love for all of us," explains Alina Alvarez Alzugaray, InBloom Group CEO.
Consumers and florists may purchase one dozen Fair Trade Certified™ roses at samsclub.com for $64.44 for premium red and $60.72 for all other colors, which includes shipping. Prices may vary within a $5 range based on seasonal variations. Valentine's Day orders for Sam's Club Fair Trade Certified roses must be made on or before February 9 for February 14 delivery and are limited to the continental United States. *A Sam's Club Membership is required to purchase online; annual Membership fees start at $35 for businesses and $40 for individuals.
Sam's Club carries Fair Trade Certified coffee both in-Club and online under its own private label Member's Mark® and also offers Fair Trade Certified Member's Mark Black Tea by Bigelow®.
Fair Trade Certified Flower Requirements
- Reduced water and energy use
- Protected watersheds and wildlife habitats
- 13 weeks paid maternity leave for women workers
- Childcare and schooling for children
- Protective gear and training for staff
- Between 8-12% of flower costs invested by supplier into farm community development fund
- Training for development projects
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1-800-flowers.com 2Q profit rises
Online floral and gift delivery service 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. on Thursday said fiscal second quarter net income rose 14 percent on lower expenses, but revenue results missed analyst expectations amid a difficult consumer environment.
Profit for the quarter ended Dec. 30 rose to $19.3 million, or 29 cents per share, from $16.9 million, or 26 cents per share, during the same period last year.
Revenue rose 1 percent to $334.2 million from $329.9 million last year.
Analysts polled by Thomson Financial predicted a profit of 27 cents per share on revenue of $352.3 million.
The company said it faced a "challenging economic environment" and added most of its growth was from its BloomNet Wire Service business, which grew 32 percent during the quarter.
Expenses fell 2 percent to $119.4 million.
Chief Executive Jim McCann said there was "very cautious consumer spending" and promotions across the gift sector.
1-800-flowers cuts 2008 revenue guidance
1-800-Flowers Lowers 2008 Revenue Outlook Based on Weakening Retail Environment
Online floral and gift delivery service 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. on Thursday lowered its revenue expectations amid a weakening consumer environment.
The company continues to expect earnings per share growth of 30 percent to 35 percent from last year's earnings of 26 cents per share, implying profit of 34 cents to 35 cents per share.
However, the company lowered its revenue guidance amid a "challenging consumer economy." It now expects revenue to rise 2 percent to 4 percent from $912.6 million last year, from previous guidance in October of a 7 percent to 9 percent rise.
The new estimate implies revenue of $930.9 million to $949.1 million.
Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expect a profit of 34 cents per share on revenue of $975.8 million.
The current third quarter, which includes Valentine's Day and Easter, will represent 23 percent to 25 percent of full-year revenue, the company said.
Shares of 1-800-Flowers rose 54 cents, or 7.6 percent, in pre-market trading.
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Saskatchewan rules out pst-gst harmonization
Saskatchewan Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer says he has rejected an offer by the federal government to harmonize the PST with the GST.
Both the provincial sales tax and the federal goods and services tax are five per cent, but Ottawa's tax covers a wider selection of items. Saskatchewan doesn't tax restaurant meals, for instance, while Ottawa does. With harmonization, both taxes would apply to the same array of goods and services.
But Gantefoer said Wednesday that the provincial Finance Department calculated that harmonization would cost taxpayers in Saskatchewan an extra $400 million every year.
That's assuming the PST would be kept at five per cent and not reduced as some harmonization proponents have suggested.
Gantefoer said Ottawa was offering a one-time payment of $180 million to help offset the $400 million increase.
"There was nothing further forthcoming," Gantefoer said. "A similar review was done by the previous administration … there was just not anywhere close to enough dollars made available for us to significantly offset the impact on our consumers. So the offer was rejected."
Furthermore, Gantefoer says, a harmonized PST would have applied to new home purchases and the government believes that would only serve to dampen the new home market.
The idea of harmonizing Saskatchewan's tax with Ottawa's has been on the back burner since former premier Grant Devine's Progressive Conservatives proposed the idea in the early 1990s.
Proponents said it would reduce paperwork and result in fairer taxation to businesses. The NDP called it a tax grab. The PCs ended up being trounced in the 1991 election.
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Member Alerts
ALBERTA
Alberta Government Releases 2007 Wage and Salary Survey Results
Salary Information Available by Region for Retail Salespersons and Managers
The Alberta government has released survey results that provide information on wages and salaries for full and part-time employees by occupation, region and industry. The survey is designed to help individuals make career and education choices and to help organizations determine pay scales.
To see the survey results click here
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how to snag a guy in 10 minutes: be a florist
As a single woman, British journalist Tanya Gold has been wondering for the better part of her life what, exactly, it is that men want. After one fateful night in a Soho bar, chronicled recently in The Guardian, she may have found the answer: a florist.
Gold decided to attend a speed-dating event, inventing a different life story for each date. After getting no further dates as a human rights lawyer, then an economist from Cambridge, she finally decided to introduce herself as a florist.
"The reaction was instantaneous, passionate and almost molecular: 'Can I buy you a drink?'" says Gold of one of her encounters. Of another, she says, "By the end of the conversation I was opening my own florist's. And he was in love ... I could have been engaged by 11:17pm."
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Philadelphia paper promotes flowers in the morning
Philadelphia Daily News says "to feel better, even in tight quarters, try a little flower power." Nothing brightens people's mornings quite like flowers, reported the Philadelphia Daily News on Jan. 18.
"The morning blahs, it turns out, is a real phenomenon, with positive moods — happiness, friendliness and warmth, for example — manifesting much later in the day," said researcher Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D. "Interestingly, when we placed a small bouquet of flowers into their morning routines, people perked up."
The newspaper cites the Home Ecology study which was conducted at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital and shows that people feel less anxious and depressed, and more compassionate, when flowers are present in the home.
Hometown newspaper and magazine editors and local TV and radio news producers thrive on turning national news items into community stories. Capitalize on the Home Ecology of Flowers Study to generate local news coverage for your shop — it's the perfect news hook for Valentine's Day.
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florists cite timing for valentine's day success
If timing isn't everything, it's certainly important, according to the 77 percent of florists who attributed, at least in part, their increased sales for Valentine's Day 2007 to the day of the week (Wednesday). "Increased shop reputation" was the second most-chosen reason for a sales increase, cited by more than half the participants.
No other factors were seen to influence positive sales growth by more than a third of florists. This year, as you know, Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday. Historically a Thursday Valentine's Day has been a very upbeat harbinger of retail florists' sales.
Source: Zoomerang Survey |
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