1-800-Flowers.com to acquire Shari’s Berries

CARLE PLACE, N.Y. — Online gifting retailer 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. emerged as the successful bidder for certain assets of the gourmet food business of FTD Companies, Inc., including the Shari’s Berries brand. The transaction is subject to bankruptcy court approval as well as customary closing conditions.

1-800-Flowers.com’s winning bid of $20.5 million includes the acquisition of more than 450 domain names, copyrights, trademarks, customer data, phone numbers and other intellectual property.

Founded by Shari Fitzpatrick in 1989, Shari’s Berries is a provider of dipped berries and other specialty foods. In 2014, FTD Companies, Inc., Downers Grove, Ill., acquired Provide Commerce L.L.C., which includes Shari’s Berries, ProFlowers, Personal Creations, Gifts.com, Cherry Moon Farms and others.

Once the acquisition closes, the business will join a portfolio that includes Harry & David, Moose Munch, The Popcorn Factory, Cheryl’s Cookies, FruitBouquets.com, Simply Chocolate, 1-800-Baskets.com, Wolferman’s and others.

“We are very excited to have been the winning bidder for the Shari’s Berries brand, and we are looking forward to getting final court approval and closing the transaction later this month,” said Christopher G. McCann, chief executive officer of 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. “We see Shari’s Berries as an excellent fit in our ‘all-star’ family of brands, and the acquisition will help further expand our authority position as a leader in the growing gourmet food and gift baskets space.”

Mr. McCann said the company plans to gradually integrate Shari’s Berries into its operating platform.

“As with all of our brands, we will focus on driving strong top- and bottom-line performance for the Shari’s Berries brand by enhancing the overall customer experience and leveraging the unique capabilities of our business platform to improve its operating efficiency,” he said.

FTD Companies commenced a restructuring process after filing for bankruptcy in June. The company previously entered into definitive agreements to sell its ProFlowers and Personal Creations businesses.