Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by brothers-in-law Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California. The two had previously run separate ice-cream parlors, with six stores between them, before they merged the two concepts together to form Baskin-Robbins. They pioneered the concept of franchising in the ice-cream industry as they recognized the need for managers with ownership interest to maintain high standards. They purchased their first dairy in Burbank in 1949, allowing them to have complete control over the production of their ice-cream and experimentation with ingredients and flavours. In 1953 they renamed all their stores with the Baskin-Robbins name.

Baskin-Robbins is now the world’s largest chain of speciality ice-cream shops, and operate in 49 countries.

Franchise System

Burt and Irv developed their franchise model decades ago and it is still used by the company today. Franchisees hold a stake in the business' success, and product development and merchandising is managed at company headquarters. It has been ranked one of America's top global franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine.

Baskin-Robbins offer franchisees a multi-million dollar national advertising programme, flexible real estate options, convenient operating hours, various product lines, product innovation and world-class training and support.

Franchisees are provided with a comprehensive three-week training programme, including in-store technical training, instructor-led classroom training, online learning management system, mentoring and skill building.

Corporate Social Responsibility

The Joy in Childhood Foundation

Founded in 2006, The Joy in Childhood foundation has donated over $11 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the U.S. The foundation raises funds to support children's hospitals, food banks, and non-profit organisations that help sick and hungry children. The aim of the foundation is to help children find joy in their daily lives. Funds are raised through the support of franchisees, employees, vendors and customers.

Nutrition

The BRight Choices menu was launched in 2008 to give customers healthier, lighter options in store, including low-fat, reduced fat and no sugar added ice-cream, sorbet and frozen yoghurt options. They also introduced non-traditional options to accommodate customers with dietary restrictions and offer a broader choice, including lactose free, no sugar added, greek frozen yoghurt and dairy free.

Environment

Baskin-Robbins restaurants use LED lights, low-flow water fixtures and building materials that include 5% post-consumer recycled material. They use as little water as possible in their dipping wells to clean spoons between scoops to reduce water wastage.

The company, together with their franchisees asses their package regularly, including their iconic pink spoons, cone wrappers and yoghurt cups. In 2012 Baskin-Robbins set a goal to make a recyclable spoon available in their stores. In 2014, after some trial and error, a recyclable spoon was introduced that meets the same high standards as the original spoon.

Financial Information

· Required investment: £80,933 - £345,000
· Capital Required: £107,163
· Upfront fee: £21,433

Sources
https://www.baskinrobbins.com/content/baskinrobbins/en/aboutus/franchiseopportunities.htm l
https://www.baskinrobbins.com/content/baskinrobbins/en/aboutus/franchiseopportunities/bra ndpower.html
https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/baskinrobbins/282121
https://www.baskinrobbins.com/content/baskinrobbins/en/aboutus/history.html
http://www.thejournal.ie/baskin-robbins-ice-cream-opening-in-ireland-2266202-Aug2015/
https://www.baskinrobbins.com/content/dam/baskinrobbins/pageassets/brochures/Baskin_Fr anchiseBrochure.pdf
http://www.dunkinbrands.com/responsibility
http://www.dunkinbrands.com/internal_redirect/cms.ipressroom.com.s3.amazonaws.com/22 6/files/20154/Final%20CSR%20Report.pdf