1-800-Flowers, a leading provider of flowers and other gifts to help customers commemorate special occasions, has acquired Bellingham, Washington-based Vital Choice, a provider of wild-caught seafood, sustainably farmed shellfish and other foods.
Vital Choice will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. It specializes in home delivery of wild seafood, primarily frozen Alaska and Pacific Northwest products, including salmon, halibut, whitefish, seafood jerky and shelf-stable fish items. It also sells beef, soups, health supplements and chocolate.
1-800-Flowers reported revenues of $2.1 billion (€1.8 billion) in fiscal year 2021, compared with $1.5 billion (€1.3 billion) in the prior year.
The company said it expects continued growth in 2022 based on several factors, including "the significant shift of consumers to ecommerce shopping and significantly expanded product offering.”
“There is growing consumer interest in food that is healthy, natural, and convenient, with newer, younger customers especially drawn to these products," the company said.
"We look forward to offering our customers even more healthy eating options and driving strong top and bottom-line performance for Vital Choice by leveraging our best-in-class e-commerce platform.”
1- 800-Flowers sells products under leading brands such as Cheryl's Cookies, Harry & David, Shari’s Berries, and Simply Chocolate, among others.
Vital Choice was founded by former fisherman Randy Hartnell in August 2001.
Lakeside Partners, a boutique investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services with offices in Seattle and Minneapolis, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Vital Choice.
