Becoming a New Zealand Natural ice cream franchisee is all about personality

New Zealand Natural  operates a highly successful global network of over 600 ice cream franchises, and this number is continuing to grow as new territories are introduced to the network.

In Australia New Zealand Natural operates 75 stores across Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, NSW and Queensland, and according to Australasian Regional Manager, David Foreman, the New Zealand Natural ice cream franchise is focusing on further, careful, expansion.

"Like many franchisors, we're becoming increasingly selective in terms of who we place and where," explains Foreman.

"We're looking for the combination of a highly visible, affordable site and a self-motivated, committed franchisee," he adds. 

Foreman stresses that becoming an New Zealand Natural ice cream franchisee does not necessarily require experience running a business or of working in hospitality. In fact, a lot of it comes down to personality.

"We're very much a people business. There are certain financial criteria that need to be met, but basically the franchisees we take on have to fit the mould of what we see New Zealand Natural becoming going forward. We're a fun business and the people aspect is a crucial part of that," says Foreman. 

New Zealand Natural is focused on supporting its ice cream franchisees with regional operational managers on the ground at a ratio of one for every 10 stores. They also have a full time trainer who trains new franchisees and oversees an ongoing training refreshment program.

New Zealand Natural also know that a key part of any franchise business is the marketing that supports its day to day operations. The ice cream franchise network has a comprehensive program of regular national promotions, supported by frequent local activity targeting customer catchments for individual stores. This has now been strengthened by the launch of an E-Loyalty programme, called Club Natural.