• by Sarah Mahoney , 4 hours ago

1-800-Flowers named Melanie Babcock its first chief marketing and growth officer, continuing the gifting company’s daunting transformation under new chief executive Adolfo Villagomez.

Babcock will lead marketing, brand positioning, customer acquisition and retention, and growth initiatives, reporting to Villagomez, the struggling company’s new CEO -- and a former CMO of Home Depot.

Babcock spent a decade in leadership roles at Home Depot. Most recently, she led the retailer’s fast-growing media division as vice president of Orange Apron Media and Monetization, overseeing double-digit year-over-year growth and introducing the industry’s first “InFronts” conference for advertisers.

In announcing the hire, Villagomez said her background in personalized customer marketing will be central as 1-800-Flowers looks for new ways to move forward. “We’re at an inflection point in our transformation, and Melanie brings the perfect combination of strategic vision and execution expertise,” he said in the announcement. “Her proven ability to scale brands, build exceptional teams, and drive customer-centric growth will be invaluable to our market leadership.”

A priority  is strengthening customer focus by modernizing the digital experience to improve product discoverability -- a pain point as consumers navigate broader assortments across gifting, gourmet food and seasonal occasions, according to the company.

Beyond its flagship flowers business, the Jericho, N.Y.-based company owns Harry & David, Shari’s Berries and Moose Munch Popcorn.

Earlier this month, 1-800-Flowers reported an annual loss of $200 million, with revenue down 8% to $1.69 billion.

Villagomez, who joined in May, positioned the results as the start of a reset. “We haven’t fully lived up to our potential in recent years,” he said when the company reported financials. “Customer expectations are shifting, technology is moving fast, and competition is evolving. That creates real opportunity. We’re making the company leaner and more agile, putting the customer at the center of everything we do, and using data to make smarter decisions.”