CANTON, Mass., Nov. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Baskin-Robbins, the
world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, is showing its
appreciation for military veterans this Veterans Day with more than $25,000 in financial discounts on royalties and
initial franchise fees as part of a special veteran's incentive
program for U.S. veterans seeking to open a Baskin-Robbins franchise in the U.S. In October,
franchisee and Army veteran Charlie
Bertram, and his wife, Karen
Bertram, opened a Baskin-Robbins shop in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The new store was
purchased with the help of the Baskin-Robbins Veteran's Incentive
Program.
"We're proud not only that Baskin-Robbins is our first franchise business, but
also that the brand supports all military veterans through special
franchising incentives and discounts," said Charlie Bertram, owner of the Shelbyville
Baskin-Robbins. "Between the passion we've seen in other
franchisees and the fact that my wife and I have been together for
31 wonderful years - the same number as the brand's famous flavors
- it was an easy choice for us to open a Baskin-Robbins."
Bertram is a U.S. Army veteran, who served during Desert Storm
from 1987 to 1991. He was an Army Specialist (E4) when he was
honorably discharged.
"Charlie Bertram and U.S.
military heroes just like him should be rewarded for their service
to our country," said Bill Mitchell,
President, Baskin-Robbins U.S. and Canada, and Baskin-Robbins & Dunkin'
Donuts China, Japan and Korea, who
served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. "At Baskin-Robbins, we take
pride in supporting military veterans, providing franchising
incentives so they can make their dreams of owning their own
business a reality."
As part of the franchise incentive program, Baskin-Robbins will waive the 20-year initial
franchise fee of $25,000 and offer a
zero percent royalty rate for the first two years and a reduced
royalty rate for years three through five for qualified, honorably
discharged U.S. veterans, making it easier for them to start their
own business. If a military veteran signs a multi-unit agreement,
he or she will be extended a 20 percent discount on the 20-year
initial franchise fee for up to four additional shops that are
timely opened, as well as a 10-year payment plan.* Available
through the end of the year, these special incentives are part of
Baskin-Robbins' commitment to
supporting the military community.
In addition to these development incentives, on Veterans Day, Baskin-Robbins will donate 10
cents from each ice cream scoop sold in its U.S. locations
to the United Service Organizations (USO), in honor of U.S. troops,
military families and veterans.** Baskin-Robbins' support is part of the USO's "Every
Moment Counts" campaign, which calls on Americans to honor and
create special moments for troops and their families, who make
daily sacrifices as they serve.
With a business system that combines delicious treats with a
simple operating model, Baskin-Robbins continues to attract entrepreneurs in
major markets throughout the U.S. For more information about the
current development incentives available, Baskin-Robbins is hosting a live webinar on
Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. EST and another webinar about
opportunities to purchase stores for sale on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m.
EST. To register, please visit
http://franchisingevents.dunkinbrands.com.
In 1945, Baskin-Robbins was
founded in Glendale, Calif., by
two ice cream enthusiasts who shared a dream to create an
innovative ice cream shop that would be a neighborhood gathering
place for families. Today, over 300 million people visit
Baskin-Robbins each year to sample
from the more than 1,200 flavor creations available in its ice
cream library. Baskin-Robbins
offers guests its wide range of hard scoop ice cream flavors, along
with custom ice cream cakes, delicious frozen beverages, premium
soft serve and take home frozen treats.
* For details, please see the Baskin-Robbins Franchise
Disclosure Document.
** This donation is inclusive of all regular (4oz) and kids
(2.5oz) scoops of ice cream sold as cups and cones on Tuesday, November 11th, 2014. The donation is
based on regular-priced cup and cone scoop sales only, and does not
include scoops that are used in other desserts (i.e. sundaes,
beverages, cakes, take home, novelties, etc.).
About Baskin-Robbins
Named the top ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in
the United States by Entrepreneur
magazine's 35th annual Franchise 500® ranking,
Baskin-Robbins is the world's
largest chain of ice cream specialty shops. Baskin-Robbins creates and markets innovative,
premium hard scoop ice cream and soft serve, custom ice cream cakes
and a full range of beverages, providing quality and value to
consumers at more than 7,400 retail shops in nearly 50 countries.
Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945
by two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion led to the creation of
more than 1,200 ice cream flavors and a wide variety of delicious
treats. In 2013, more than 13 million ice cream cakes were sold in
Baskin-Robbins shops worldwide.
Headquartered in Canton, Mass.,
Baskin-Robbins is part of the
Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For
further information, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com.
CONTACT:
Claibourne Smith
Fish Consulting
954-893-9150
csmith@fish-consulting.com
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SOURCE Baskin-Robbins