FTD Acquisition

(from Suntimes.com) "FTD, the Downers Grove-based floral company, will be acquired by United Online Inc. for about $456 million in cash, notes and stock, the companies announced Wednesday.

United Online, the operator of NetZero and Juno Internet service providers, intends to expand FTD's online revenue-making opportunities, particularly because less than 5 percent of the floral industry's revenue comes from Internet sales, and the two companies have more than 50 million overlapping customers.

United Online intends to help florists increase their revenues, too, by improving "how they present themselves; how they are integrated with the FTD story so they appear much more a part of the family; and how they use the Internet as a leverage tool to drive their business rather than looking at the Internet as a competitor."

I just want to comment on this acquisition. United Online clearly wants to grow the internet part of this business. That's fine with me. Internet shopping is growing everyday, with no letup in sight. The flower industry will probably benefit from having these experts on the team.

Visser's Florist is proud to have partnered with FTD for so many years. However, let me make one thing perfectly clear. We have grown and prospered for over 50 years because we provide outstanding customer service--every single day. THAT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE.

Our commitment is to make every customer glad that they shopped at Visser's. If we do that we will be here another 50 years.

I'd appreciate your comments.