DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — FTD.COM, Inc. ("FTD"), a subsidiary of United Online, Inc., has entered into an exclusive agreement with Batesville Casket Company, the leading provider of caskets, cremation products and funeral home websites, to provide customized, co-branded floral websites to licensed funeral homes in the United States and Canada.
"This program represents a unique and innovative opportunity for both FTD and the funeral service industry. FTD will provide a nationwide system for ordering sympathy arrangements to a market that has not always enjoyed a consistent, quality, branded experience," said Robert Apatoff, President of FTD Group, Inc. "Thousands of funeral homes and their customers can benefit from easy, online access to a full range of beautiful arrangements designed and delivered by FTD's nationwide network of artisan florists, and supported by its quality customer service."
The new program is available exclusively to funeral homes that utilize Batesville's WebLink(TM) websites. Participating funeral homes will receive a co-branded floral website, custom-designed and hosted by FTD, which prominently displays the funeral home's name and brand. Consumers can easily access the new floral website to place orders through a link on the existing funeral home website. Tailored for the funeral industry, visitors can choose from a first-class assortment of FTD sympathy and funeral arrangements and gifts including flowers, plants, sprays, wreaths, gourmet foods, and gift baskets. Orders can be placed either online or by calling (877) 212-3610.
"FTD is the most recognized national floral brand with an expansive network of member florists and significant expertise serving consumers, both online and offline. This combination of brand recognition, expertise and broad network membership, coupled with Batesville's experience in funeral service, creates a compelling offering that is unsurpassed in quality and convenience," said Troy Brake, VP and General Manager of Batesville Interactive.
About FTD(R)
FTD Group, Inc., through its operating subsidiaries including Florists' Transworld Delivery, Inc. and FTD.COM, Inc., is a leading provider of floral related products and services to consumers and to retail florists, as well as to other retail locations offering floral products, in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland. The business utilizes the highly recognized FTD and Interflora brands, both supported by the Mercury Man logo, which is displayed in over 40,000 floral shops worldwide. The consumer businesses operate primarily through the www.ftd.com Web site in the U.S. and Canada and the www.interflora.co.uk Web site in the U.K. and are complemented by the florist businesses which provide products and services to FTD's independent members. FTD Group, Inc. is a subsidiary of United Online, Inc. For more information about United Online, please visit www.unitedonline.com.
About Batesville
Batesville Casket Company (www.batesville.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hillenbrand, Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!hi/quotes/nls/hi (HI 21.53, -0.13, -0.60%) is a leader in the North American death care industry through the sale of funeral services products, including burial caskets, cremation caskets, containers and urns, selection room display fixturing, technology solutions, and other personalization and memorialization products. For more than 125 years, Batesville has been dedicated to helping families honor the lives of those they love. Our history of manufacturing excellence, product innovation, superior customer service and reliable delivery has helped us become — and remain — a market leader.
Cautionary Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the FTD's proposed marketing initiatives and product and service offerings. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual performance and results to differ materially from those predicted. Potential factors that could affect the FTD's ability to perform and consequently its or United Online's business, financial condition and results of operations include, without limitation, FTD's inability or failure to implement any or all planned marketing initiatives, to satisfy demand for the products or services offered or to achieve expanded marketing opportunities, efficiencies and other benefits associated with the products and services, technological issues and other problems associated with FTD's or its suppliers' products, operations, systems and technologies, changes in consumer demand, tastes and preferences, the unavailability of products or services, delays in the provision of products and services, and unanticipated events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof, as well as other factors that may cause actual performance and results to differ materially from those predicted are described in United Online, Inc.'s annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (http://www.sec.gov), including, without limitation, information under the captions "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors."
Source: FTD.COM, Inc.
