1-800-FLOWERS to hire 10,000 seasonal workers ahead of the holiday season

Carle Place-based 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. plans to hire 10,000 seasonal workers, including about 1,000 for work-from-home positions not available in years past, chief executive Chris McCann said.

"The pandemic has brought forth so many changes ... especially with work-from-home capabilities, making these jobs available for people right here in the Long Island market for the first time," McCann said.

Most of the company's seasonal jobs are in Illinois, Ohio and Oregon, at facilities that serve the company's gourmet food and gift brands, including Harry & David, PersonalizationMall.com, Cheryl's Cookies and The Popcorn Factory. But this year, 1,000 customer service agent jobs will be performed remotely, McCann said.

As the holiday season approaches, the company is looking to "make sure we're creating and filling the jobs we need to meet the demand we're expecting," he said in an interview last week.

"Since the pandemic hit, our business has accelerated ... customers are turning to us, our brands and products to help them connect with the important people in their lives more than ever."

Overall, the planned hires represent a 25% increase over the company's seasonal hiring last year — and will temporarily quadruple the online florist and gift retailer's workforce.

The company has about 3,350 full-time employees, including about 400 on Long Island.

The peak holiday season for the company's brands starts ramping up in September for the November and December holidays, McCann said.

Seasonal hires may be considered for permanent positions after the holidays, he said.

Interested candidates can apply at 1-800-flowers.com/careers.

In August, the business reported record revenue and profit growth in its fiscal 2020 fourth quarter.

Revenue increased a record 61% to $418 million, compared with $259.4 million in the prior year period. Net income was $9.8 million, compared with a net loss of $8.3 million in the prior year period.

"As a company, we've been very fortunate to be so well-positioned to succeed during this difficult time," McCann said, "and be able to create so many employment opportunities for people, which is so important, especially right now."

The company’s shares closed Wednesday at $24.94; they are up more than $10 a share since January.