1-800-Flowers.com profits increase

Carle Place florist and retailer 1-800-Flowers.com reported Thursday huge increases for both its quarterly and annual profits.

The company said its quarterly profits were $1.46 million, or earnings of 2 cents per share, compared with an $8,000 loss the year before. And earnings for the year were $17.3 million, about three times its $5.7 million income the previous year.

The florist reported lower quarterly revenue of $179.6 million, down 1.4 percent from $182.2 million last year. Annual revenue, however, increased 6.6 percent to $716.3 million.

Chief executive Jim McCann said in a news release he was pleased with revenue growth in the company's core floral business, a result he attributed to enhanced marketing efforts.

Revenues in the consumer floral category grew $29 million or 7.9 percent to $398.2 million for the full year.

The company's gourmet food and gift basket business, another critical segment, saw sales increase 3.2 percent to $236.7 million for the full year. However, fourth-quarter revenues in this category dropped 8.8 percent to 33.9 million because of the shift in the Easter holiday, the company said. Easter Sunday fell on April 8 this year but last year the holiday was on April 24 -- with more shopping days in the quarter.

The company's BloomNet business, which provides products and services to floral professionals, saw its revenues rise $9.3 million or 12.7 percent to $82.6 million for the year.

1-800-Flowers.com raised its guidance for the next year, expecting revenue growth in all three of its business areas.

"Our fiscal 2013 guidance is based on the positive trends -- both top and bottom-line -- that we have seen in our business over the past two years, balanced by the continued uncertainty in the global economy," McCann said.

With Lisa Du