One-on-One Training Keeps Carvel Ice Cream Reenergized and Refreshed

By: Carvel | 6 Shares 235 Reads

A commitment to visit 440 locations helps launch new products

April 03, 2008 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA, Ga.– From now until May, Carvel® Ice Cream's franchise support team is on a mission to visit roughly 440 Carvel Ice Cream locations to implement six new blended frozen drinks as part of their promise to keep the brand fresh, and maintain a leadership position within the ice cream category.

Carvel, the nation's first retail ice cream franchise, was acquired by FOCUS Brands in late 2001. Since then, they have been committed to promoting innovation to keep the 74 year old brand current and relevant in the evolving marketplace. Playing on the importance of getting a return on one's investment, Carvel calls this reoccurring tradition Refreshing Our Image (ROI).

"Like many franchise systems, we introduce new products and have marketing promotions on a consistent basis," explains Jim Salerno, vice president of operations for Carvel Ice Cream. "Carvel is unique in that we offer our franchisees personal one-on-one training and in-store support to integrate these new products as part of our ROI initiative. We find that this type of support promotes consistency, teamwork, provides energy towards the guest experience and most importantly builds strong franchisee relations."

"The idea behind 'Refreshing Our Image' is to commit to ourselves and to our franchisees that we will continuously take a fresh look at our brand in the current competitive landscape, and consider the new flavor trends, operational innovations and creative ways to improve the guest experience and store profitability then invest dedicated resources to make any necessary updates," says Gary Bales, president of Carvel Ice Cream.

This year, Carvel is rounding out their existing beverage line by introducing new blended frozen drinks called Arctic Blenders™ and Blended Coffee drinks as part of their ROI. The new flavors include Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter, Fried Ice Cream, Mocha Freeze, Caramel Macchiato and Coffee Freeze.

About Carvel® Ice Cream

The United States' first retail ice cream franchise, Carvel® Ice Cream has become one of the best-loved and most recognized names in its industry. The company is a leading provider of premium soft serve and hand dipped ice cream products, as well as the leading manufacturer of uniquely shaped ice cream cakes, including its signature Fudgie the Whale and Cookie Puss cakes. Carvel currently operates over 500 franchised and food service locations, and sells its famous ice cream cakes in over 8,500 supermarket outlets. The company is based in Atlanta, with its supermarket headquarters in Rocky Hill, Conn.

About FOCUS Brands Inc.®

FOCUS Brands Inc. is the franchisor and operator of over 2,100 ice cream stores, bakeries, restaurants, and cafes in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and numerous foreign countries under the brand names Carvel® Ice Cream, Cinnabon®, Schlotzsky's®, Moe's Southwest Grill®, and the franchisor of Seattle's Best Coffee® on military bases and in certain international markets. Based in Atlanta, the primary objective of FOCUS Brands is to "FOCUS on making people happy." Please visit www.focusbrands.com to learn more.

###