With seven iconic brands making up more than 6,400 global (more than 4,600 in North America) restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and ice cream shoppes, Focus Brands is primed for growth and seeking brand franchisees to fill those markets.
Whether you’re a single-unit owner new to the field or a multi-unit developer with broader infrastructure, Focus Brands, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, can seamlessly fit all passions into its portfolio that includes Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, and Schlotzsky’s.
“We love all our brands the same,” says Brian Krause, chief development officer. “That’s the beauty of being a portfolio company. When you have the strength of multiple brands, there’s something for everybody.”
Focus Brands houses one of the largest development teams in the industry, designed to grow and support multiple brands. “The requirements are all different, but at the end of the day we’re looking for folks who have that strong entrepreneurial passion and spirit,” Krause says.
The portfolio powerhouse just launched a new, all-inclusive development website to help prospective brand franchisees tap into the Focus Brands system and understand where they can grow and who to contact to get started both domestically and internationally. It streamlines the research process with brand stats, such as Auntie Anne’s average net sales for fiscal year 2021 ($636,952).
Franchisees can expect real estate, construction, and marketing support, supply chain packages with competitive pricing from single-source vendors, flexible footprints and nontraditional venue options, and cobranding and franchising experts.
“With the ability to tap into our brands’ enterprise-level resources, you’re going to share best practices. You’re going to leverage purchasing power with our suppliers and marketing agencies, and obviously technology and digital innovation is a big part of that. We also share consumer and loyalty customer insights. All of these benefits give us better capabilities and allow us to make larger investments that one brand quite frankly couldn’t afford on its own,” Krause says.
Nationalizing resources while globalizing its reach allows room for massive market differentiation within the Focus Brands portfolio, as well as culinary innovation to cater to international flavors and regional palates, whether in the Middle East or middle America.
“We produce over $1.2 billion in retail sales through our global channels and licensing business, which adds clout to our already iconic brands,” Krause says. And when fans called for more access points, Focus Brands answered with dual branding, street-side real estate, opening the first ever Auntie Anne’s drive-thru paired with a Jamba in Wiley, Texas, last year.
The future is bright for Focus Brands and franchisees of its seven brands, with an eye on platform expansion, increasing access, and driving franchisee returns on investments.
To learn more, visit development.focusbrands.com.
