CANTON, Mass., Jan. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Baskin-Robbins, the
world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, announced today
that it is expanding its presence in Louisville, Ky. with new and existing
franchisees. The brand marked its entry into Shelbyville at the end of the year with plans
to open an additional location in Louisville by the end of 2015. Both shops were
purchased with the help of Baskin-Robbins' franchise incentive
programs. The brand is also recruiting franchisees to help it
further expand its presence in the Louisville and Lexington areas.
Late last year, first-time franchisee and Army veteran
Charlie Bertram, and his wife,
Karen Bertram, opened their
Baskin-Robbins shop located at 1661 Midland Trail in Shelbyville. Charlie, who was an Army
Specialist (E4) and served during Desert Storm from 1987 to 1991,
was waived the 20-year initial franchise fee of $25,000 through Baskin-Robbins' Veteran's
Incentive Program. As part of the program, qualified, honorably
discharged U.S. veterans who signed an agreement in 2014 and
develop shops according to a specific timeline are also offered a
zero percent royalty rate for the first two years and a reduced
royalty rate for years three through five.
In addition, Mukesh Naik, an
existing franchisee for the brand, will develop a Baskin-Robbins
shop in 2015. Naik currently operates a Baskin-Robbins store on La
Grange Road in Louisville, Ky.,
with additional locations in Evansville,
Ind., and Owensboro, Ky.
Naik received 50 percent off the initial franchise fee and reduced
royalty rates for five years when he signed a multi-unit store
development agreement with the brand in 2014.
"We're excited to be growing rapidly with passionate franchisees
like Mukesh Naik and the Bertrams
across Kentucky, especially in my
hometown of Louisville. We have
experienced significant growth since debuting a fresh, modern new
store design and providing some of the strongest financial
incentives the brand has ever offered," said Bill Mitchell, President, Baskin-Robbins, U.S.
and Canada, and Baskin-Robbins
& Dunkin' Donuts China, Japan
and Korea. "Baskin-Robbins continues to lead the way in traditional
and innovative ice cream products, and we look forward to expanding
our presence further in Kentucky
and across the U.S. in the year ahead."
To enable further growth, Baskin-Robbins is actively seeking
franchisees in several markets throughout the U.S., including areas
in California, Georgia and Kentucky. Specific cities include Louisville, Lexington, Los
Angeles, San Francisco,
San Diego, Sacramento, Atlanta, Albany and Columbus, among others. For a limited time,
new franchisees can take advantage of 50 percent off a 20-year
initial franchise fee of $25,000 and
a payment plan whereby the reduced fee can be amortized over 10
years. Additionally, qualified candidates who develop shops in a
timely manner will be able to enjoy reduced royalty rates of 0
percent to 4.9 percent over the first five years, which is a
significant reduction from the standard royalty rate of 5.9
percent.*
Baskin-Robbins combines delicious treats with a simple operating
model. Franchisees enjoy convenient hours of operation, minimal
equipment and little product waste. They also benefit from
award-winning training programs and comprehensive operating systems
designed to help build business.
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.
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:
Jessi Nunez
Fish Consulting
954.562.9048
Jnunez@fish-consulting.com
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/167042LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/baskin-robbins-expands-presence-in-kentucky-300020521.html
SOURCE Baskin Robbins