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February 4, 2008

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FTD Group Reports Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2008 Results
Second quarter 2008 consolidated revenue grew $4.0 million, or 2.6%, to $155.5 million - Report and Financial Statements

Rachel Ray Show Says: Buy Early, from a Florist
A TV episode last week promoted the use of local retail florists and ordering early for Valentine's Day

Teleflora Searches For 'America's Favorite Mom'
At a cost of more than $10 million, this show introduces something new for this industry

Woman's World Tells Readers 'Treat Yourself to Flowers'
Continuing the momentum, this popular woman's magazine generated nearly 5 million impressions

Valentine's Day 2007: Doomed by the Weather
Weather - Top reason why 2007 sales declined

 




 

ftd group inc. reports second quarter fiscal year 2008 reports

SECOND QUARTER FISCAL YEAR 2008 RESULTS

Second quarter fiscal year 2008 consolidated revenue grew $4.0 million, or 2.6%, to $155.5 million, compared to consolidated revenue of $151.5 million for the same period of fiscal year 2007. Foreign currency rate changes accounted for approximately $3.3 million of the revenue growth. Resulting net income for the second quarter of fiscal year 2008 was $9.0 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, compared to net income of $6.1 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter.

Domestic Consumer Segment

The Domestic Consumer Segment achieved revenue of $64.6 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, compared to revenue of $69.5 million in the same period of fiscal year 2007, representing a 7.0% decline. Second quarter operating income in the Domestic Consumer Segment was $6.1 million, or 9.5% of Domestic Consumer Segment revenue, compared to $3.8 million in the prior year quarter, or 5.4% of Domestic Consumer Segment revenue. Operating margin during the period increased due to more efficient marketing spend as well as reduced general and administrative costs.

Domestic Consumer orders during the second quarter of fiscal year 2008 totaled 998,000 compared to 1,136,000 orders in the same period of fiscal year 2007. Average order value increased to $63.23 in the current quarter from $60.01 in the prior year's quarter.

Domestic Florist Segment

The Domestic Florist Segment achieved revenue of $44.6 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, consistent with the $44.6 million of revenue achieved in the same period of the prior fiscal year. Second quarter fiscal year 2008 operating income for the Domestic Florist Segment was $14.1 million, or 31.5% of Domestic Florist Segment revenue, compared to $14.4 million in the prior year quarter, or 32.3% of Domestic Florist Segment revenue. This slight decline is related to a change in product mix during the quarter.

International Segment

For the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, the International Segment, primarily comprised of the Interflora U.K. business, achieved revenue of $46.3 million compared to revenue of $37.5 million in the second quarter of the prior fiscal year, representing a 23.4% increase. This increase includes $3.3 million, or 7.8%, related to favorable foreign currency movement between the U.S. dollar and the pound sterling. The International Segment achieved operating income of $4.1 million, or 8.8% of revenue, in the second quarter of fiscal year 2008 compared to $2.7 million, or 7.2% of revenue, in the second quarter of fiscal year 2007.

The International Segment continues to experience strong demand as consumer order volume totaled 542,000 for the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, compared to 473,000 orders in the same period of the prior fiscal year. Average order value in the International Segment was $69.66 in the current quarter, an 8.7% increase, primarily attributable to favorable foreign currency movement, compared to $64.07 for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Internet orders increased to 71.8% in the current quarter, from 69.3% for the same period of fiscal year 2007.

BALANCE SHEET AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

As of December 31, 2007, the Company's cash and cash equivalents totaled $27.5 million. The Company's debt balance totaled $302.0 million, including notes payable of $1.7 million related to the Interflora U.K. acquisition, compared to total debt of $313.4 million as of September 30, 2007. As of December 31, 2007, the Company had $72.0 million available under its revolving credit facility.

In addition to the $11.4 million debt repayment made during the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, the Company paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.1625 per share on January 7, 2008 to shareholders of record on December 24, 2007, in an amount totaling $4.8 million.

OUTLOOK

"As we look to the second half of our fiscal year, Valentine's Day, U.K. Mother's Day and Easter all fall during the fiscal third quarter this year and Mother's Day in the U.S. occurs in the fiscal fourth quarter. We believe we are well positioned for the remainder of the fiscal year, and are reconfirming our revenue and Adjusted EBITDA targets for the year and increasing our annual EPS target," concluded Soenen.

For fiscal year 2008, the Company is reaffirming, without change, its previously announced annual revenue target of approximately $645 million and targeted Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $98 million (as adjusted for items that management does not consider reflective of core operations), with targeted annual Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue of approximately 15%. The Company's targeted Adjusted EBITDA includes approximately $4 million of expense related to stock compensation associated with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123(R) and a deferred compensation plan at Interflora U.K. The Company is increasing its targeted net income for the fiscal year to $40 million, or $1.35 per diluted share, from $37.1 million, or $1.23 per diluted share. The above targets are only estimates, which may be exceeded or alternatively may not be achieved.

CONFERENCE CALL
Listen to the Conference Call (replay) given by the FTD Management

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Click here to view the FTD Financial Reports, detailing the breakdown of the CONSUMER and FLORIST segment

SOURCE: FTD Group, Inc.

 

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rachel ray show says: buy early, from a florist

The January 30th episode of  Rachel Ray show espoused the virtues of ordering early for Valentine's Day and, for last-minute orders especially, using a reputable source, like a retail florist.

Twenty four year-old Josh has a theory about buying his girlfriend flowers. He explains matter of factly: "If I can get a dozen roses and a dozen eggs at the same place, to me that sounds like a great arrangement," says Josh, much to the frustration of his girlfriend.

With an attitude like that, it's no wonder women are often let down when their man walks in the door on Valentine's Day! But with a little help from Colby, you'll get just the flowers you want this year (click on the images in the green box to the right for more shopping do's and don'ts).

Gardening expert Rebecca Kolls explains that the number one mistake men make when ordering Valentine's Day flowers is waiting too long. "They do last minute shopping," she says. "Your order is going to go at the bottom of the list. You're going to set yourself up for so many complications that can and will go wrong ... Your flowers that you ordered may not be exactly what your woman gets because by the end of the day they might be out of the flowers." And even worse, they may not arrive on time.

She recommends ordering a few weeks in advance, but for those procrastinators: "If you're going to wait until the last minute ... make sure it's a reputable company. There's going to be a lot of bargains out there and it's no bargain when you don't get flowers," Rebecca says, adding, the best option is to go talk to a local florist who can then guarantee that the order will be processed in time.

"And that's what they want! The women want to know that you made the effort to go to the store," Rachael advises.

Once the flowers have arrived, some simple care will keep them nice and fresh. "Change the water daily. Cut them down every day just a little bit," Rebecca says. "Add a splash of hydrogen peroxide to the water -- just a little splash -- that will kill the bacteria."

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teleflora searches for 'america's favorite mom'

Teleflora, along with Redbook and Hearst Magazines, announced it is partnering with NBC on a new reality television series to find "America's Favorite Mom" in honor of the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day.

Tom Butler, AAF, chairman of Teleflora, estimates the cost of the campaign to be more than $10 million. "The industry has never seen this kind of promotion," Butler says. "This is Teleflora's biggest single advertising marketing event in the company's industry."

Consumers can nominate their favorite mom by visiting AmericasFavoriteMom.com and uploading videos, photos and testimonials. Friends, family and anyone interested can then vote for their favorite nominee.

Teleflora member florists can also sponsor "America's Favorite Mom" competitions in their local communities to collect nominations with the help of a marketing kit from Teleflora. Redbook will ask for nominations and feature moms in upcoming issues as well.

The top 15 nominees will appear on NBC's Today Show throughout the week before the primetime special, which will air on Mother's Day, May 11, 2008. Viewers of the Today Show will have the chance to vote for their favorite mom at the end of each show, and the winner will be featured on "Teleflora presents America's Favorite Mom" on Mother's Day.

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 other rewards, including a cash prize and an 18k gold heart-shaped pendant with diamonds.

Butler says Teleflora's goal is to reestablish flowers, hand-arranged and delivered by a florist, as the best gift for Mother's Day. Both the Today Show and the final reality show will showcase a real florist delivering arrangements to the nominees.

"Our number one goal is to get more consumers into flower shops," Butler, says. "On major holidays, more people are competing with flowers than ever before ... Our main competition is from people not selling flowers. We don't want to see Mother's Day diminish in terms of a floral holiday."

Also, for every customer that a Teleflora florist gets to send in a nomination for the nationwide contest, the florist will receive a chance to win a Teleflora van.

Teleflora florists can't nominate their own Mom for "America's Favorite Mom," but they'll have a Teleflora's Moms contest of their own to honor their mothers, Butler adds. Any florist can nominate his or her mother; a winner for each state will be named and a grand prize winner will receive a diamond pendant and a trip to Los Angeles.

 

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woman's world tells readers: 'treat yourself to flowers'

Flowers really are the ultimate mood enhancer, according to Woman's World magazine. The Jan. 28 issue encourages its readers to "treat yourself to flowers." In an article called "Feeling blue? Flip on your happiness switch!" the article tells readers: "Their pretty blossoms will perk you right up!" The Woman's World article generated nearly 5 million consumer impressions.

The article cites the Home Ecology Study conducted at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, the study shows that people feel less anxious and depressed, and more compassionate when there are flowers in the home.


 

 

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valentine's day 2007: doomed by the weather

Last Valentine's Day, 35 percent of retail florists reported Valentine's Day sales had declined compared to the year before. When asked to attribute that decline in sales to a list of factors, one factor stood out among all others: the weather, chosen by 80 percent of participants. The next highest negative factor — chosen by comparatively fewer participants, 29 percent, -- was competition from mass marketers (29 percent). Other factors identified as having had a negative impact on sales included: online floral vendors (26 percent), order gatherers (16 percent), non-floral gift vendors (13 percent) and the wire services (11 percent). A decline in wire-in orders (19 percent), the health of the regional economy (17 percent), the cost of goods (10 percent) and fuel and energy costs (10 percent).

Source: Zoomerang

 

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