Investment: £100k-£200k
Franchise Focus Breaking the ice
Savvy franchise investors are choosing the Baskin-Robbins brand INVESTMENT LEVEL: £150,000
with EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of 10-15 per cent.” Syed Rizvi has been working in the commercial and retail banking sector for over 39 years. Today, he is the general manager of operations of a large, international bank. In 2011, Syed was looking for an investment opportunity that would also allow his family, including his four daughters, a strong, long-term investment and career opportunities. Having a personal liking for ice cream, and Baskin-Robbins in particular, he felt that the Baskin-Robbins franchise opportunity was the right step for them.
Syed Rizvi (right) with his operations manager L
ast year, Baskin-Robbins, part of global high-street giant Dunkin’ Brands, announced expansion plans in the UK. Since then, they’ve been receiving applications
from prospective franchisees all over the country looking to develop their own portfolio of successful ice cream cafés. Jim Johnstone, general manager at Baskin-Robbins for UK, Europe and Russia, shares his insights on the brand.
Tell us a bit about Baskin-Robbins. “Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest chain of ice cream stores operating in a market worth around $1.8billion. Since 1945, we’ve introduced over 1,000 unique, fun and much-loved ice cream recipes, frozen drinks and our famous ice-cream cakes. We sell in excess of 300 million scoops of ice cream each week across 6,700 stores in 50 countries.”
Baskin-Robbins is a success in the US but what makes Baskin-Robbins a success on British high streets? “We offer multi-store development areas in the UK, as well as now offering single store start-ups, and we allow our franchisees to invest in one store at first, with the option to develop a portfolio of five or more. The minimum initial investment is just £150,000,
50 per cent of which can often be funded by a high-street bank. By developing areas, we can ensure that we grow the brand across the UK. Finding the right store location is key to a successful launch and each franchisee has a dedicated support manager to help with this.”
“We felt the franchise offered us the support we would need from the outset and a prospect of continuity”
So, why are investors looking so favourably on Baskin-Robbins as a business opportunity? “The investment at store level is low. You can open 10 Baskin-Robbins stores for the same cost as one ‘drive thru’ in the quick-service restaurant sector. You then spread your investment rather than relying on one location. We have a great team here in the UK who are dedicated to helping franchisees grow their sales and profitability. A typical area containing five stores has the potential to turnover £1million in the first full year of trading,
Syed and Fiza, one of his daughters, opened the first Baskin-Robbins store in Colindale, and their second in Finchley soon after. The multi-store strategy sees franchisees opening stores in
quick succession. “We felt the franchise offered us the support we would need from the outset and a prospect of continuity. The ambience of a clean, fragrant and pleasant business environment was also a main driver in reaching this decision,” explains Syed. “Some investors might think that Baskin-Robbins products are only popular in summer, but that is not the case. We also have a range that caters throughout the year. For instance, at the moment, chocolate fondants from the hot treats range are very popular.
“I still work in banking today and the business is run by my wife and a few close family members under my oversight and guidance. Creating a friendly atmosphere and keeping a high level of service are two of the things that are most important to us. A simple acknowledgement or nod to a customer waiting at the end of the queue proves invaluable for repeat business,” adds Syed. n
BASKIN-ROBBINS
WEBSITE:
www.baskinrobbins.co.uk/ franchising
EMAIL: baskinrobbinsfranchising@
dunkinbrands.com
PHONE: 023 9226 9559 CLASSIFICATION: Food
April 2014 |
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