Ben & Jerry’s franchise strategy

Ben & Jerry’s recently announced its plans of further expansion of up to 30 franchise Scoop Shops across Australia. This follows the successful launch of the first franchise Scoop Shop in Chatswood NSW which opened its doors to the public in January 2012.

The expansion of Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops has been eagerly anticipated amongst Ben & Jerry’s fans since the brand first arrived in Australia in November 2009, with hundreds of Facebook fans regularly requesting more scoop shop locations. 

"The decision to expand Ben & Jerry’s franchise business was led by consistent consumer demand but the many challenges of producing and distributing super premium ice cream meant we had to ensure the process was tried and tested before debuting a focused franchise business plan," said Ben & Jerry's brand manager, Johnny Hammond.

"With the success of the inaugural Chatswood Scoop Shop and the learnings from the many stores overseas, we’re confident that the Australian franchise model is fully formed and robust."

Ben & Jerry’s has been operating worldwide for over 30 years and has used franchising as a development strategy for almost all of this time.  As part of a multinational company, Ben & Jerry’s has the resources to invest time and money into the education of franchisees, offering them constant support in order to foster growth, which further ensures the brand message is properly communicated to consumers. 

"Ben & Jerry’s understands the importance of building the brand and developing customer loyalty in our local markets," continued Hammond.

"Most US based food companies that have entered Australia have failed to understand the nuances of this market and neglect to sufficiently adapt their menu and franchise offering. At Ben & Jerry’s we are determined to avoid any potential issues by setting realistic growth ambitions, particularly in the first five years."

"With a substantial packaged goods business, we do not need to roll out a huge network of franchise scoop shops. We are looking to open a small number of scoop shops in high exposure areas.  By keeping the number of stores low, we eliminate the risk of cannibalisation, which is a significant challenge for other franchise networks."

Scoop up a franchise business opportunity
Ben & Jerry’s is aiming to open up to 30 franchises in key sites along the east coast including:

NSW

• Bondi Beach
• Circular Quay
• Darling Harbour
• Darlinghurst
• Parramatta 

• Chapel Street
• Melbourne CBD
• South Bank 
• St Kilda

• Brisbane CBD
• Broad Beach
• Cavill Avenue
• South Bank
• The Valley 

"We’re on the hunt for a team of dedicated Scoop Shop owners to help us spread peace, love and ice cream across the country. Ben & Jerry’s has a strong philanthropic focus and we’re looking for enthusiastic people who share the Ben & Jerry’s brand values and are committed to making their Scoop Shop a real success," concluded Hammond.