United Online Inc. said in a regulatory filing that it is laying off about 50 employees in its FTD online flower retailing unit due to the economic downturn.

The Woodland Hills online company, which acquired FTD last year, said late Tuesday that the affected positions, primarily at FTD’s former headquarters in Downers Grove, Ill., are equivalent to 5 percent of the unit’s global workforce. The cuts reflect the company’s forecast for a decline in FTD revenues this year, it said in the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

United Online last month reported a fourth quarter net loss of nearly $138 million, mostly from charges to write down goodwill and certain intangible assets of FTD.

The company’s shares were up 24 cents, or 6 percent, in morning trading on the Nasdaq.