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Want to buy an ice-cream franchise? Why not try a Swiss classic?

Sarah Stowe

Five years ago Movenpick was just an ice-creamery with customers purchasing on impulse, wandering down the street with the ice-cream. It was classic, European style.

Now, says country manager Dennis Khoury, the Australian market has shifted to a dessert experience. It’s very social, no-one goes to ice-cream boutiques alone.

“We’ve become an evening business, it’s all about night time.”

The big trend is the dine-in immersive experience.

That’s had an impact on the menu too: it’s all about sharing plates. “Gone are the days of each person buying something individual for themselves. Now the group wants to share.

“Innovation is critical. It used to be every two to three years, now it’s twice a year, summer and winter. We’re very lucky our ice cream is traditionally made for fine dining restaurants. We’ve always had items from great innovations to be used as dessert creations.”

It is important to stay focused in the face of increasing competition, says Khoury, and not be everything to everyone.

There are three different retail formats: the kiosk, parlour, gallery – small, medium, large – and it’s essential to get the right store in the right location. You can’t put a gallery store everywhere, he adds.

And of course as with any food business, franchisees have to be able to manage rents, labour and cost of goods.

“They have to be able to manage on a daily basis, so it’s not a model suited to investors. You have to manage it closely, and an owner-operator is generally able to manage quite easily,” says Khoury.

“With a Swiss company, when you think Swiss, you get world class precision. Our support is world class, the level of support and the detail execution.

“Growth is slow and steady. Movenpick wants everything to be perfect. We’re working in the super premium category.”