Today, Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon announced a four-year agreement with franchise firm Fresh Dining Concepts to open ten co-branded Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon shops throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The agreement between Fresh Dining Concepts, Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon will assist the brands in accelerating their efforts to increase guest accessibility by expanding beyond the conventional mall context.
According to the Chief Development Officer of Focus Brands, Brian Krause, guests desire increased convenience and are open to interacting with our brands in various ways. Combining brands like Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon makes them significantly more accessible than they would be on their own. Partnering with an industry leader like Fresh Dining Concepts enables them to expand into high-growth markets like New York City.
President and CEO of Fresh Dining Concepts, Luis San Miguel, Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon aim to be more accessible outside of malls as per growing customer interest. Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon are legendary businesses that operate similarly and have complementary offerings. Cobranding has enormous value, not only from an operational and real estate standpoint, but it is also becoming the guest’s preferred one-stop shop for snacking, regardless of their craving. Focus Brands’ specialty brands are pioneers in this space, and hence the collaboration between Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon’s will expand the reach to five boroughs.
Focus Brands is invested in researching and developing co-branding and multi-branding strategies for Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, and Jamba Juice. There are now 150 co-brand locations at airports, malls, street-side locations, college campuses, travel plazas, and entertainment venues. As the leading franchisor of foodservice brands, Focus Brands is harnessing important learnings from those sites to develop and improve concept prototypes that will aid in developing the co-brand strategy. Consumer data, innovative co-brand positioning, financial modeling, and streamlined operating models will all be incorporated into these prototypes.
“We recognize the power that comes with Focus Brands’ seven iconic brands and we really want to give the brands and their franchisees a competitive edge. It’s an exciting time at Focus Brands and we look forward to tapping into new co-brand opportunities across the country for years to come,” commented Chief Development Officer of Focus Brands, Brian Krause.
Auntie Anne’s®, Cinnabon®, Jamba®, Carvel®, Moe’s Southwest Grill®, McAlister’s Deli®, and Schlotzsky’s® are seeking suitable franchisees to join their developing franchise systems and are interested in expanding through co-branding options.
