In mid-January, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. and U-Swirl Inc. reported that U-SWIRL International Inc., which operates and franchises self-serve frozen yogurt cafés, has acquired the business assets of two operators and franchisors of self-serve frozen yogurt cafés. Combined, the two operators, Tulsa, Oklahoma-based CherryBerry Enterprises LLC and Atlanta, Georgia-based Yogli Mogli LLC, franchise and/or operate 182 self-serve locations in 27 states and three foreign countries. CherryBerry Enterprises franchises and operates 156 self-serve yogurt cafés in 25 states, Canada, Pakistan, and Turkey, with many new locations in development. The East Coast states include Connecticut, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Yogli Mogli franchises 22 self-serve frozen yogurt cafés and operates four company-owned cafés in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. "The completion of this acquisition increases the size of U-Swirl's store base by over 200 percent, to a total of 267 self-serve frozen yogurt cafés in 35 states and three foreign countries," noted Rico Conte, CEO of Henderson, Nevada based U-Swirl Inc. "Our franchise support group will work closely with existing and new franchisees to realize savings through economies of scale and volume purchasing discounts, and to execute on cost-reduction strategies that are designed to position U-Swirl as one of the most efficient participants in the self-serve frozen yogurt industry." Over the past 15 months, the number of cafés operated by its franchisees, licensees and U-Swirl has grown dramatically. He estimates that U-Swirl is now the fourth-largest company, when measured in terms of the number of stores operating in the United States. "The self-serve frozen yogurt market is extremely fragmented, and we believe successful consolidators will dominate the industry within a few years," added Bryan Merryman, CEO of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. U-Swirl Inc. is publicly-traded and is majority-owned by Durango, Colorado based Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc.
CATEGORY: Self Serve
Chain Name: U-SWIRL Frozen Yogurt
Company Name: U-Swirl Inc.
Street Address: 1175 American Pacific, Suite C, Henderson, Nevada 89074
Tel: 702/586-8700 Fax:
Email: info@u-swirl.com Website: www.u-swirl.com
Menu Specialty: Up to 20 non-fat frozen yogurt flavors with up to 70 toppings including fresh fruit, sauces, candy and granola sold by weight.
Introduced:
No. of Locations: Over 265 locations in about 35 U.S. states, Canada, Pakistan and Turkey
Areas of Operation: Worldwide
Types of Location:
BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv): Public Company, Franchise, Licenses, Co-branded and Corporate owned units
Size Req’d:
Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc):
Contact Name: Henry ‘Hank’ Cartwright - Chief Marketing Officer
Rico Conte – CEO
Terry Cartwright - COO
REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:
FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:
PARENT COMPANY: Majority owned by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc., 265 Turner Dr., Durango, Colorado 81303 tel: 800/438-7623 fax: 907/259-5895
Related Chains: CherryBerry, Aspen Leaf Yogurt, Yogli Mogli, Yogurtini, Gracie Blue, Josie’s Frozen Yogurt
Last Report: Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #110 Last Update:
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