Harry & David Sells Rose Division April 11, 2007 From the Incentive Newsletter
By Leo Jakobson
Gourmet mail-order food and gift seller Harry & David is selling its rose and flower division.
The $49 million sale of Jackson & Perkins, a 134-year-old firm known for its roses, as well as other flowers and garden gifts with operations in Wasco, Calif., is expected to close by the end of June.
The buyer is a larger horticultural firm, which intends to continue the company's operations, which include the harvest of more than 6 million roses annually. Harry & David will continue to manage some wholesale operations during 2007 and direct marketing operations and rose fulfillment through mid-2008.
While the press release did not directly address the special markets channel, the buyer is purchasing the Jackson & Perkins brand and e-commerce operation as well as its inventory and 3,200 acres of growing land.
"The decision to divest Jackson & Perkins was made only after careful consideration of its strategic fit with our core gift and gourmet food business," says Bill Williams, the president and CEO of Harry & David.
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