World’s Largest Chain of Ice Cream Specialty Shops Accelerates Franchise Growth in Louisville Market
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.
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.
