CANTON, MA, 2014-11-13— /EPR Retail News/ — Baskin-Robbins, the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, is showing its appreciation for military veterans this Veterans Day with more than $25,000 in financial discounts on royalties and initial franchise fees as part of a special veteran’s incentive program for U.S. veterans seeking to open a Baskin-Robbins franchise in the U.S. In October, franchisee and Army veteran Charlie Bertram, and his wife, Karen Bertram, opened a Baskin-Robbins shop in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The new store was purchased with the help of the Baskin-Robbins Veteran’s Incentive Program.
“We’re proud not only that Baskin-Robbins is our first franchise business, but also that the brand supports all military veterans through special franchising incentives and discounts,” said Charlie Bertram, owner of the Shelbyville Baskin-Robbins. “Between the passion we’ve seen in other franchisees and the fact that my wife and I have been married for 31 wonderful years – the same number as the brand’s famous flavors – it was an easy choice for us to open a Baskin-Robbins.”
Bertram is a U.S. Army veteran, who served during Desert Storm from 1987 to 1991. He was an Army Specialist (E4) when he was honorably discharged.
“Charlie Bertram and U.S. military heroes just like him should be rewarded for their service to our country,” said Bill Mitchell, President, Baskin-Robbins U.S. and Canada, and Baskin-Robbins & Dunkin’ Donuts China, Japan and Korea, who served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. “At Baskin-Robbins, we take pride in supporting military veterans, providing franchising incentives so they can make their dreams of owning their own business a reality.”
As part of the franchise incentive program, Baskin-Robbins will waive the 20-year initial franchise fee of $25,000 and offer a zero percent royalty rate for the first two years and a reduced royalty rate for years three through five for qualified, honorably discharged U.S. veterans, making it easier for them to start their own business. If a military veteran signs a multi-unit agreement, he or she will be extended a 20 percent discount on the 20-year initial franchise fee for up to four additional shops that are timely opened, as well as a 10-year payment plan.* Available through the end of the year, these special incentives are part of Baskin-Robbins’ commitment to supporting the military community.
In addition to these development incentives, on Veterans Day, Baskin-Robbins will donate 10 cents from each ice cream scoop sold in its U.S. locations to the United Service Organizations (USO), in honor of U.S. troops, military families and veterans.** Baskin-Robbins’ support is part of the USO’s “Every Moment Counts” campaign, which calls on Americans to honor and create special moments for troops and their families, who make daily sacrifices as they serve.
With a business system that combines delicious treats with a simple operating model, Baskin-Robbins continues to attract entrepreneurs in major markets throughout the U.S. For more information about the current development incentives available, Baskin-Robbins is hosting a live webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. EST and another webinar about opportunities to purchase stores for sale on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m. EST. To register, please visit http://franchisingevents.dunkinbrands.com.
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.
** This donation is inclusive of all regular (4oz) and kids (2.5oz) scoops of ice cream sold as cups and cones on Tuesday, November 11th, 2014. The donation is based on regular-priced cup and cone scoop sales only, and does not include scoops that are used in other desserts (i.e. sundaes, beverages, cakes, take home, novelties, etc.).
About Baskin-Robbins
Named the top ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine’s 35thannual 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.