Franchise
News: Prezels and Pizzas
Short
Takes
A
Quick Peek into Franchise Life
Pretzels
and Pizzas Tie the Knot
Auntie Anne's, one of the nation's
fastest-growing franchise operations,
has close to 800 soft pretzel stands in
43 states and 14 countries. Consumers
with a hankering for these "secret
dough" pretzel concoctions flock
to the counters of Auntie Anne's
which traces its roots back to an Amish-country
farm stand in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The company is now adding a new twist
to it operations in the form of a sit-down
service featuring Starbuck's coffee, sandwiches
and pizza. The first Auntie Anne's
Café opened in Lancaster and
is looking to satisfy the hunger needs
of customers throughout the day with breakfast,
lunch and dinner options as well as providing
its popular pretzel offerings. While Auntie
Anne's pretzel franchise opens more
than 40 locations each year, the company
plans to take it one step at time when
it comes to expanding the café.
"We'll come in low and slow on this,"
company founder Anne Beiler told the Associated
Press. "We'll open the second one
and see if the results are consistent.
After that we can deploy a growth plan."
Auntie
Anne's is also a company with a mission,
that of supporting families and children
in need. The company allocates 10 percent
of its franchise royalties to organizations
like the Angela Foundation, the Children's
Miracle Network and the Family Resource
and Counseling Center. The latter is a
family counseling service Anne Beiler
and her husband started in their home
following the death of their 18-month-old
daughter Angela.
A
Magic Match
Herbal Magic Systems International,
Canada's largest franchisor of personal
health and weight-loss counseling centers,
was recently acquired by Trivest Partners,
a private investment firm based in Miami,
Florida. Headquartered in London, Ontario,
Herbal Magic Systems has been expanding
rapidly along with the waistlines of countless
North Americans. "Despite years of
medical research and billions of dollars
expended, there is still no universal solution
for weight loss," said Trivest Partners
Managing Director Peter Vandenberg, Jr.
"Consequently, behavior modification
such as the Herbal Magic program
has proven to be an effective way to lose
weight and keep off the pounds."
Herbal
Magic, which operates under both Herbal
Magic (Canada) and Nutri Magic
(U.S.), has enjoyed an enchanting growth
rate since it first opened in 1996. The
company has 228 locations throughout Canada
and the U.S. and of these nutrition centers
only nine are company-owned locations.
The company focuses on both the founding
of new franchises (at the rate of 40 a
year) and promoting the 10 percent same
center growth at its established centers.
The Herbal Magic program is based
on regularly scheduled private sessions
between a client and their designated
Herbal Magic counselor. Participants
are encouraged to adopt a lifestyle that
includes proper nutrition, adequate exercise
and herbal supplements. The company's
mission is to provide "a natural
way to better health and wellness."
Big
Plans for Big Eats While
the New Year often brings resolutions
of "slimming down," some hearty
souls set their sights on expansion. Franchisees
of Cici's Pizza, an all-you-can-eat
buffet franchise system based in Plano,
Texas, are planning to ring in the New
Year with a string of new Cici's
locations. Five new locations will be
opening up in the Nashville area in the
first half of the year. An investment
group is also working on opening 100 Cici
locations in Colorado while another group
is developing 250 restaurants in Ohio,
Kansas, Missouri and West Virginia.
Cici's
$3.99 buffet includes 16 varieties of
pizza, pasta, salad and dessert. The company
grosses nearly $355 million annually.
The average Cici location saw its
sales increase by 45 percent over the
past three years. Rob Holcomb, the Nashville
franchisee who is on the brink of opening
the aforementioned five restaurants, estimates
each store will gross nearly $1.2 million
annually. The company has 450 franchised
units in 21 states and they are still
counting.
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