1-800-Flowers.com has brought in retail veteran Adolfo Villagomez to help steer the company as its new CEO.
The announcement accompanied a 12.6% year-over-year revenue decline in 1-800-Flowers.com’s latest quarterly earnings. Previously, Villagomez worked at The Home Depot. Now, Jim McCann, the 1-800-Flowers.com founder and outgoing CEO, says the retailer needs someone to come in and fix things.
1-800-Flowers.com is No. 60 in the Top 2000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest North American online retailers. There, it falls under the Flowers & Gifts category. Digital Commerce 360 projects 1-800-Flowers.com’s online sales will reach $1.53 billion in 2025.
CEO transition at 1-800-Flowers.com
Adolfo Villagomez, CEO at 1-800-Flowers.com | Image credit: Business Wire
The 73-year-old founder of the New York-based company told the Wall Street Journal that as business is slowing, “the best thing I can do is fire myself and hire someone who’s much more skilled than I am in the areas that are important to the company going forward.”
Taking McCann’s place in the CEO office as of May 12 is Villagomez, who most recently was CEO of single-family housing rental firm Progress Residential. Villagomez, McCann said, is expected to implement newer technologies, including artificial intelligence. Ultimately, Villagomez’s work experience before Progress Residential may bring the most value to 1-800-Flowers.com.
Villagomez served as chief marketing officer and senior vice president of The Home Depot’s online business. There, he was responsible for all digital activities, including HomeDepot.com, the company’s primary ecommerce operation, as well as all marketing and branding activities at The Home Depot.
Villagomez joined The Home Depot in 2014 as vice president of merchandising strategy. During his seven-year tenure there, he oversaw several of the company’s core merchandising functions, including Outdoor Power, Garden and Building Materials. Before that, Villagomez worked as a partner at McKinsey & Company and held executive leadership positions at DuPont.
Modernizing technology at 1-800-Flowers.com
1-800-Flowers.com may be losing out on sales because of outmoded technology. But it wasn’t always that way.
McCann’s flower power was revolutionary when he started it, connecting vendors and suppliers with a vast pool of potential customers, all at the fingertips of an 800 number. Still, even though McCann says the company needs technological improvements for its digital commerce, it has managed to carve out a niche.
For instance, the company announced white-label delivery through Uber Direct for Valentine’s Day in February.
Villagomez will join the company just as it wraps up deliveries from Mother’s Day 2025. Mother’s Day is one of the busiest holidays of the year for 1-800-Flowers.com. The company expected to deliver 17.8 million stems for the occasion, including 6.9 million roses and 2.8 million tulips.
“Delivering so many flowers in such a tight timeframe, as with the Mother’s Day holiday, is a highly complex operational process,” McCann told Fox Business in a recent interview. “But we have conducted nearly 50 Mother’s Day campaigns, and we know this holiday very well.”
Meanwhile, for this part, Villagomez is eager to start.
First priorities for Villagomez as CEO
“I am incredibly honored to lead 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. and to represent such an iconic brand, as we enter a transformational new era for the company,” Villagomez said in a press release. “With 1-800-Flowers.com’s unique legacy and unrivaled assets, we are one of few companies that have the privilege to be part of the most important moments in our consumers’ lives.”
McCann will stay on as chairman, while Villagomez handles the day-to-day operations at the company. Neither responded to an interview request from Digital Commerce 360.
At least one expert says Villagomez is the right person for the company.
“The appointment of Adolfo Villagomez signals a strategic shift toward operational rigor and scaled omnichannel growth,” said Stacie Selise Shannon, an executive leadership coach who spoke to Digital Commerce 360.
“Coming from Home Depot, he brings a deep understanding of supply chain efficiency and customer-centric retail innovation,” she stated. “Both of these are critical as 1-800-Flowers competes in a saturated ecommerce landscape.”
Shannon noted the brand has legacy recognition. However, to thrive, it must evolve from seasonal gifting to a year-round lifestyle and experience-driven platform.
“Villagomez has an opportunity to reposition the company as not just a flower delivery service, but a leader in emotional commerce by leveraging data, personalization, and brand storytelling to deepen customer loyalty,” she assessed.
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