1-800-FLOWERS.COM CEO to Speak to Oracle Applications Users at OAUG Fall Conference.

Business Editors

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 13, 2001

Jim McCann to discuss how early channel adoption continues to be a

driving force behind his company's success

As the keynote speaker for the Oracle Applications Users Group's upcoming Fall Conference (www.oaug.org/fall2001), Jim McCann, chairman and CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (Nasdaq: FLWS), will share his insights on how technology helped him build his company from a single Manhattan flower shop to a leading international provider of gifts in little more than a decade.

Recognizing the enormous potential in providing on-the-go consumers with quality gift-giving opportunities, McCann pushed traditional boundaries to create several access channels. Today, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM customers can send a wide variety of floral products and other gifts around the world by ordering over the Internet, in person at one of the company's stores or by dialing 1-800-FLOWERS.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM now sells more gifts online than it sells flowers, and McCann's discussion will include how the Internet changed his company from a "flower company" to a "gift company." McCann attributes this successful conversion to the company management's ability to quickly embrace, adapt and employ new channel technologies as they emerged.

"I continue to see wide communication disconnections between IT and management in many companies," said McCann. "By the time management realizes and truly understands their need for complex technology solutions, it's too late, and they have lost a strategic advantage. We have succeeded because our IT professionals are intimately involved throughout our company's strategic planning processes. My keynote address to the OAUG will provide some insightful tips on how companies can eliminate the dividing lines in communication between IT and management so that they too can fulfill their potential."

McCann acquired the 1-800-FLOWERS number in 1986 after successfully building his own chain of 14 flower shops in the New York metropolitan area. Using a thorough understanding of his customer base and market, he focused on creating a reliable brand name and instilling a sense of trust and convenience in an industry that previously had no leader. As his business grew, McCann pioneered its entry into other retail access channels - going online in 1992 and opening a Web site in 1995. Today, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has a well-known Web site (www.1800flowers.com) and maintains strategic online relationships with a number of online services, including America Online, Microsoft Network (MSN), and Yahoo!.

McCann attributes much of his success to the training he received in his first job as a social worker. As an administrator at St. John's Home for Boys in Rockaway, N.Y., McCann recalled, he had to help underprivileged children learn how to overcome the scourge of poverty, drugs and despair. His experiences greatly influence the open management style he uses today.

About OAUG Fall 2001 Conference

The OAUG's 2001 Fall North American Conference will be held at the San Diego Convention Center Sept. 19-22, 2001. The conference's thousands of attendees will be able to choose from more than 150 educational white paper presentations from Oracle Applications users, participate in product demonstrations from OAUG integration partners, attend panel discussions from Oracle Applications experts, benefit from 65 hours of applications training sessions, attend Special Interest and Geographic Group meetings and tour an exhibition hall featuring companies with products and services complementary to Oracle Applications. To register for the OAUG's 2001 Fall North American Conference please visit www.oaug.org/fall2001, or call [phone].

Note to media: For complimentary registration, please contact Kevin Denver Banks at [phone] or [e-mail].

About Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG)(R)

Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) was formed in the San Francisco Bay area in May 1990 when 32 Oracle(R) Applications users gathered to create an independent forum for the exchange and expression of information concerning the effectiveness of Oracle Applications. At that time, members agreed that the OAUG would remain an independent voice, promoting education, networking, communications and information sharing and opened a dialogue with Oracle representatives about product development, quality and support.

With a wide range of activities such as conferences, publications, affiliated group events, and a variety of member services, OAUG works to increase the members' knowledge and understanding of Oracle Applications and to communicate their issues and needs to Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq: ORCL).

Today, OAUG has 2,200 corporate members who represent tens of thousands of individual users worldwide, including more than 25 of the Fortune 100 companies, and represents diverse backgrounds, industries and geographic locations. Members include end users, service providers, hardware vendors, and third-party software solution providers, and represent 71 affiliated geographical and special interest groups from around the world.

For more information on the OAUG, visit its Web site at www.oaug.org.