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                                                                    Exhibit 99.1

Monday May 3, 10:33 Am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

FLORAFAX AND GERALD STEVENS MERGER IS COMPLETED - FLORAFAX INTERNATIONAL
CHANGES NAME TO GERALD STEVENS, INC. - TICKER SYMBOL CHANGED TO GIFT

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.--(Business Wire)--May 3,1999--Last Friday, shareholders
of Gerald Stevens, Inc., a privately-owned leading retailer and marketer of
flowers and floral products, overwhelmingly approved the company's merger with
Florafax International, Inc. (NASDAQ: FIIF-news). Shareholders of Florafax
International, meeting on April 23, also approved the merger. The merger became
effective on Friday. Florafax International changed its name to Gerald Stevens
Inc., and the stock was listed on the NASDAQ National Market under the new
ticker symbol GIFT.

Gerald R. Geddis, president and CEO of Gerald Stevens, said, "As one company,
Florafax and Gerald Stevens are positioned to become the premier floral and
gift retailer and marketer in the world. Our strategy of building a national
distribution system enables us to dramatically increase orders and minimize
costs while ensuring superior quality products and service to our customers. As
we continue to add to our extensive network of retail stores and expand Gerald
Stevens' business, we look forward to increasing shareholder value."

Gerald Stevens is a leading retailer and marketer of flowers and floral-related
merchandise and gifts. The company currently owns 124 stores in 17 markets in
the U.S., including 92 free-standing retail florists, 32 supermarket locations,
a floral order generation business, and an Internet floral business.

Florafax International, Inc., is principally engaged in the business of
generating floral orders from consumers and providing floral placement services
to retail florists. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, The Flower Club,
forms mutually beneficial corporate partnerships with nationally recognized
companies to market flowers and gifts directly to customers. Florafax is the
fourth largest flowers-by-wire provider in the U.S., serving more than 5,300
member florists in all 50 states, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands. It is also a third party processor of credit cards.

When used in this report, the words "plan(s)," "intends(s)," "expect(s),"
"feel(s)," "will," "may," "believe(s)," "anticipate(s)" and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The events
described in such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties
which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements which speak only as of the date hereof. The company undertakes no
obligation to republish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events. Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider
the various disclosures made by the company which attempt to advise interested
parties of the factors which affect the company's business, including the
disclosures made under the caption "Management's Discussion and Analysis or
Plan of Operation" in the annual report, as well as the company's periodic
reports on Form 1O-KSB, 10-QSB and 8-K as amended filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. The events described in such statements, and the
success of the management strategies described by those statements, are



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subject to certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to
differ from those discussed. Among those risks and uncertainties which are
particular to the company are: continued consumer spending on discretionary
items such as flowers and gifts, the success of the company in maintaining
relationships with its corporate marketing partners, the success of the company
in maintaining a strong membership base, the continued use of credit cards as a
preferred method of payment by customers of members, increased labor costs,
constant competition and the health of the retail flower industry as a whole.