Taking McCann’s place in the CEO office will be Adolfo Villagomez, who most recently was CEO of single-family housing rental firm Progress Residential. Villagomez is expected to implement newer technologies, including artificial intelligence.
He will keep the role of chairman despite his “dismissal” from the CEO role.
The need for more advanced technology was underscored this past holiday season, when problems with the order management system at subsidiary Harry & David led to canceled orders, frustrating customers and costing the company $20 million in sales. In the most recent quarter, 1-800-Flowers reported a net loss of $178 million, again largely due to order system issues.
