Verified — real FDD extraction
SBA-eligible · directory code S0004 since 2017
1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM
Retail & Products · independent · est. —
1-800-Flowers is a floral and gifting retailer best known for delivering bouquets, plants, and gift baskets for occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Customers order online or by phone for local and nationwide delivery. A franchisee runs a retail flower-and-gift shop that fills and delivers orders under the brand.
1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM net unit count declined -10.5% from 2022–2024 per its FDD Item 20.
New to franchising? Start here
A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.
Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:
- Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
- Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
- Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).
The verdict
Proven & steady
Distress
A real track record with an unremarkable region of the ledger: neither the growth nor the exits stand out, for better or worse. The main concern in the record: the system is shrinking.
Exit rate · latest year
9.4%
vs 1.9% across 15 retail & products systems
Cost to open
$259K–$933K
Item 7 total investment range
SBA loan defaults
0.0%
12 loans resolved — directional only
Behind the verdict
the record, factor by factor · Item 20
3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1
terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3
transfers vs. base · Table 3
actual vs. projected openings · Table 5
Item 19 disclosure + completeness
Systemwide units
2022–2024
Survival record
FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year
In fiscal 2024, 5 of 53 franchised outlets left the system — a 9.4% annualized exit rate, vs 1.9% across 15 retail & products systems. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.
Show the outlet tables ↓Hide the evidence ↑
| Status (FTC) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlets at start | 66 | 57 | 54 |
| Opened | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Transfers | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Terminations | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Non-renewals | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Reacquired by franchisor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ceased — other reasons | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Outlets at end | 57 | 54 | 51 |
| Net change | -9 | -3 | -3 |
The lender's view
SBA 7(a)/504 loan performance · FY1991–present
Banks have made 17 SBA-backed loans to 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM franchisees since 2007. Only 12 have resolved so far — too thin for a reliable default rate, but 0 of them charged off.
—
12 resolved · too thin to rate
—
avg. charged-off $ ÷ approved $
—
default rate × loss severity
$735,200
what recent franchisees borrowed
—
approval → charge-off, defaulted loans
2 vs 4
distinct banks — pulling back
Charge-off rate by loan approval year (%)
SOURCE: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA LOAN DATA (DATA.SBA.GOV), FY1991–PRESENT · MATCHED TO 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM BY FRANCHISE NAME · RESOLVED = CHARGED-OFF + PAID-IN-FULL
What it costs — and what it drags
FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty
Buying in means a $30K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $259K–$933K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes no earnings claim (Item 19) — ask current and former franchisees for real numbers.
To open (Item 7)
$259K–$933K
all-in investment range
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$30K
upfront, one-time
Royalty (Item 6)
6%
of sales, ongoing
Your figure — this brand discloses no Item 19 earnings; validate with current & former owners.
Royalty you'd pay / yr
$60K
6% of sales, before profit
Over a 10-yr term
$600K
royalties alone, excl. ad fund
This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.
Build a real pro-forma for 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM with an independent CPAModeled risk
FDD Risk Score · modeled from the public record
The public record puts this brand toward the middle of the systems we score — but the evidence is thin, so treat it as a range, not a number.
Risk percentile (range)
52–76 / 100
Directional
Modeled SBA charge-off
14.7%
Observed SBA charge-off
0.0%
Top drivers: System size (log units) (raises) · Investment ceiling (log) (lowers) · Net unit growth (raises) · Item 20 exit rate (raises). Thin loan history — treat this as a range, not a number. A linear scorecard built from this brand's own disclosure figures plus the federal loan record behind its franchisees; full spec and cross-validated accuracy on the methodology page. A score is context, not a verdict.
Distress signals
news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits
No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM franchise questions, answered from the filings
What percentage of 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM franchises closed last year?
In 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2024), 5 of 53 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 9.4% — compared with 1.9% across 15 retail & products systems tracked here. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.
How much does a 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM franchise cost?
Per 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM's 2024 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $30K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $259K–$933K (Item 7).
What royalty does 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM charge?
1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM charges an ongoing royalty of 6.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2024 FDD.
Does 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM disclose earnings (Item 19)?
No — 1-800-FLOWERS/1-800-FLOWERS.COM's 2024 FDD makes no financial performance representation in Item 19. That is legal and common, but it means the franchisor publishes no earnings claim; ask current franchisees for real numbers.