If interested in how FTD's publicly traded competition is doing

Looks like competitor 1-800-Flowers is seeing revenue gains in certain product areas:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/mothers-day-demand-food-gift-basket-delivery-1-800-flowers

2% first quarter total revenue increase for 1-800-Flowers.

That company is also not showing up as active on the layoff forums. Here's what comes up if you type them into the search box and scroll down to this...

https://www.thelayoff.com/a-1-800-flowers-com

And they are doing serious PR, as in tv interviews, this Spring season, despite COVID-19.

Of course, it's hard to compare/contrast (now) private companies with publicly traded competitors, due to lack of data, but it sounds like 1-800-Flowers is chomping away at market share. That would be a logical guess as to why total revenue is up over there when every large floral/gifting company should be seeing some decrease due to the current economic situation. This is a New York based company, too, a state that was hit hard by COVID-19! Yet they continue "to extend" their "market leadership."

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4342500-1minus-800-flowers-com-inc-flws-ceo-christopher-mccann-on-q3-2020-results-earnings-call

Without substantially increasing marketing spend, FTD is going to have a long wait until Nexus can turn them around. Apollo Global Management turned Hostess around, among other brands, but the Coronavirus is a confounding variable in this turnaround experiment. It's rather unprecedented.

Maybe the goal may just need to be readjusted to keeping afloat by treading water. You won't know, though, because nothing is public now. FTD was delisted. You cannot compare things among the big players without publicly available data.

The only info anyone will have about FTD during private ownership will be the spin coming from spokespersons, kind of like emanations from penumbras, only from a brand marketing perspective and not about actual constitutional law.

Good luck to Nexus. If they cannot turn the company around at some point in time, then I'm sure no one can. Apollo perfected this distressed buyout/turnaround process and then some of their former execs went off and created their own firms, such as Nexus. They are FTD's seriously last and best hope.

Should be interesting. Not counting them out, yet, though.

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1-800-Flowers CEO Chris McCann joined in 1984 if this is at all accurate??? Wow!

https://emailtheboss.org/executives/james-mccann-ceo-1-800-flowers/

Yet they're kicking FTD in the tailfeathers.

Well, then again, nowhere in Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" (yes, the book is read in management classes) does it recommend endlessly and frequently rotating a never-ending parade of Generals. Playing musical CEOs, interim or (cough) permanent (clears throat) while your competition has a lonnnng time General out there in the market leading from the front is not smart strategy.

Was about to make the mistake of assuming too long tenure within FTD was the problem until learning how long McCann has been with 800-Flowers. That's a long time.

Maybe it's more about who leads and how they lead and not necessarily tenure (not that fresh ideas aren't a plus).

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190822005124/en/1-800-FLOWERS.COM-Reports-Strong-Results-Driven-Accelerated-Revenue

https://digiday.com/retail/1-800-flowers-competes-direct-consumer-era/

FTD did not "invest enough in capital expenditures and marketing" is spot on.
Now, a just over 40 year old company, with great diversification (Moose Munch, Harry and David, Shari's Berries, etc.) is thumping FTD.

Maybe Nexus ought to just rebrand FTD with a new name at some point.

Might one suggest to something that screams we're-about-flowers better to a millenial generation of potential customers who now, because of COVID-19, are watching their brand new degrees netting them stalled careers that can't get off the ground as they compete with more experienced workers in a recession environment.

When competing for a slice of a much smaller pie, elevating a brand known for bankruptcy requires a long, slow slog uphill. It took GM years to start to overcome the notion that they were producing lower quality vehicles than Toyota, with its lean manufacturing and production system.

A complete rebrand, bringing in new senior management with Lean Six Sigma certification and experience, or maybe even both ideas might make sense. Because the company does not seem to be blowing money on much needed marketing spend at such a critical time, that is for sure.

Thread regarding FTD layoffs

If interested in how FTD's publicly traded competition is doing

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