Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon announced a deal with franchise group Fresh Dining Concepts to bring 10 co-branded Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon locations to the five New York City boroughs over the next four years. The agreement between Fresh Dining Concepts and Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon will help the brands accelerate ongoing efforts to become more accessible to guests by adding locations outside the traditional mall setting.
“We’re looking to accelerate our multi-brand franchise development efforts in new and existing markets. Our insights are showing that guests want more convenience and are looking to access our brands in a variety of ways. Putting brands like Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon together makes them far more accessible than they would be individually,” says Brian Krause, Chief Development Officer of Focus Brands. “Partnering with an industry leader like Fresh Dining Concepts, who really understands the power and benefits of co-branding, gives us the chance to expand in priority markets like New York City.”
“In recent years, we’ve seen strong consumer demand for brands like Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon to be more accessible outside of malls, so when the opportunity presented itself to grow our portfolio with street side co-brand locations, we immediately jumped onboard,” says Luis San Miguel, President and CEO of Fresh Dining Concepts. “Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon are iconic brands that are similar from an operations standpoint and the menus complement each other very well. There’s immense value in co-branding, not only from an operations and real estate perspective, but it’s also becoming the guest’s preference as a one-stop-shop for snacking, no matter their craving. Focus Brands’ specialty brands are leading the way in this area and we’re excited to work together to give our guests across the five boroughs more access to Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon.”
Focus Brands, has invested in research and development to build a more robust co-brand and multi-brand strategy with its specialty brands, Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon and Jamba. Among the specialty brands there are already 150 co-brand locations in airports, malls, street side venues, college campuses travel plazas and entertainment venues. As the leading developer of foodservice brands, Focus Brands is utilizing key learnings from those locations and is leveraging consumer insights, unique co-brand positioning, financial modeling and streamlined operating models to develop and refine concept prototypes that will help build the co-brand strategy.
“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,” further commentes Brian Krause.
Focus Brands’ affiliate brands, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, Jamba, Carvel, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, and Schlotzsky’s, are looking to add qualified franchisees to their growing franchise systems and are seeking operators interested in expanding through co-branding opportunities.
