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 UNITED STATES FRANCHISE NEWS ARCHIVE
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: : Jan 2003
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Wendy's Earnings Shine Next McDonald's. Wendy's International
Inc. said fourth-quarter earnings rose 9 percent on strong sales from
its namesake hamburger chain and Canadian Tim Hortons doughnut stores,
a sharp contrast to the quarterly loss posted by fast-food leader
McDonald's Corp. .... [more]
31 Jan, 2003
Toys 'R' Us to lay off 700 store managers nationwide.
Almost one year after Toys "R" Us Inc. announced a restructuring plan,
the company will lay off about 700 store management and supervisory
positions at about 400 of its stores nationwide, effective immediately.
.... [more]
30 Jan, 2003
Lee's ice cream chain expanding. A Baltimore ice cream
chain has plans to build a new factory and to expand by up to 10 stores
per year. .... [more]
30 Jan, 2003
7-Eleven Leader Dies. John Thompson, the man who turned
7-Eleven Inc. from a regional convenience store chain into a global
powerhouse, has died of brain cancer at age 77. .... [more]
30 Jan, 2003
Building Demand Aids This Franchising Niche. The nesting
craze has been a boon to franchisees in business to help homeowners
with projects, as mortgage refinancings keep the money flowing into
repairs and improvements. .... [more]
29 Jan, 2003
McDonald's Obesity Suit Only First Bite. A US judge's
dismissal of a lawsuit blaming McDonald's for obesity in children
is no cause for celebration by the fast-food king, according to legal
experts. .... [more]
28 Jan, 2003
7-Eleven to sell computers. When next you step into
one of the ubiquitous stores of the 7-Eleven chain to pick up a cup
of coffee and a cruller, buy a computer while you're at it. .... [more]
28 Jan, 2003
Steaks not enough, Outback goes Asian. US steakhouse
chain Outback will introduce Asian cuisine to its menu, including
those with Thai flavours, at its outlets worldwide to feed growing
appetites for light and exotic Asian fare. .... [more]
28 Jan, 2003
Wingstop Chain Purchased. Wingstop Holdings, Inc., a
corporation newly formed by Hartz Restaurants International, Inc.
and Gemini Investors Inc., has purchased Wingstop Restaurants Inc.,
a chain of chicken wing eateries, from its owner and founder, Antonio
Swad. .... [more]
28 Jan, 2003
EVENT - IFA's 43rd Annual Franchise Convention. The
International Franchise Association's 43rd Annual Convention is scheduled
for February 15-18, 2003 in San Antonio, Texas. .... [more]
27 Jan, 2003
The franchising of America. While the economy continues
to languish, the estimated trillion-dollar franchising industry is
getting a boost from people seeking a stable income. .... [more]
27 Jan, 2003
EVENT - Franchise Expo set for April. The International
Franchise Association is sponsoring the International Franchise Expo
scheduled for April 11-13 at the Washington Convention Center. ....
[more]
27 Jan, 2003
ZYNG! International restaurant concept will make U.S. debut
in Old Town. Old Town Square will be the location for the
country's first Zyng Noodlery when restaurateur Alan Bundy opens the
Asian-inspired dining concept in mid-April. .... [more]
27 Jan, 2003
Sub chain on fire. Firehouse Subs plans to open 15 new
corporate restaurants in 2003, it recently announced. Since establishing
its business in 1994 the Jacksonville-based sandwich chain has opened
62 locations. .... [more]
27 Jan, 2003
AFM plans major growth with turnaround expert buy. AFM
Hospitality Corp., the hotel management company that bought Seattle's
Northwest Lodging two years ago, is stepping into a new line of business
with its recent acquisition of a San Diego-based turnaround specialist.
.... [more]
27 Jan, 2003
Fastest growing fitness franchise gets big by going small.
Curves for Women has found great success in smaller communities, and
is now rated as the second fastest growing franchise in its category
in the U.S. and Canada. .... [more]
27 Jan, 2003
Sport Clips cutting into four more states. A Georgetown-based
hair salon company plans to expand into four new states in the coming
year and double its local real estate space and number of employees.
.... [more]
27 Jan, 2003
Krispy Kreme to acquire New York bakery. Winston-Salem,
N.C.-based Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. plan to acquire Montana Mills
Bread Co., a Rochester, N.Y.-based chain of neighborhood bakeries.
.... [more]
24 Jan, 2003
Del Taco Finishes 2002 with Deals For 31 New Stores.
Closing 2002 with a strong demand from experienced restaurant franchisees,
Del Taco today announced it signed five new development agreements
in December 2002 for a total of 31 new restaurants, including first-time
stores in three new markets. .... [more]
24 Jan, 2003
Choice Hotels taps overseas sales partner. Silver Spring-based
Choice Hotels International is partnering with a Scottsdale, Ariz.,
company to develop a network of international sales offices. ....
[more]
23 Jan, 2003
Learning Express offers unique franchise model for on-line shopping.
Just when many businesses thought it wasn't safe to go back to the
Internet, Learning Express, a 15-year-old specialty toy retailer,
has launched an on-line store. .... [more]
23 Jan, 2003
McDonald's Corp. posts first-ever quarterly loss: $343.8 million
US. McDonald's Corp. announced the first quarterly loss in
its history Thursday, a $343.8-million US deficit reflecting an assortment
of charges and writeoffs aimed at helping it pull out of an unprecedented
slump. .... [more]
23 Jan, 2003
Krispy Kreme, NCSA unveil $60M 'Unity Place'. Krispy
Kreme Doughnuts and the North Carolina School of the Arts today unveiled
their $60 million plan for "Unity Place," described by Winston-Salem
Mayor Allen Joines as "a gigantic leap forward" for downtown. ....
[more]
23 Jan, 2003
Applebee's International Enters Into Agreement to Acquire 11
Franchise Restaurants. Applebee's International, Inc. announced
today that it has reached an agreement with Thomas and King, Inc.
to acquire the assets of 11 Applebee's restaurants. .... [more]
23 Jan, 2003
MOTO Franchise Corporation to Purchase Moto Photo, Inc. Assets.
Moto Photo, Inc. announced that on Tuesday, January 21, it received
the permission of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to sell substantially
all of its assets to MOTO Franchise Corporation. .... [more]
23 Jan, 2003
Court dismisses McDonald's obesity case. A lawsuit by
a group of American teenagers who claim the fast food chain McDonald's
is responsible for their obesity has been thrown out of court by a
New York judge. .... [more]
22 Jan, 2003
Roto-Rooter Goes Wireless. Roto-Rooter Inc. announced
today it will equip its more than 1500 field technicians at company
owned branches with a wireless solution to further improve quality.
.... [more]
22 Jan, 2003
California Pizza Kitchen to Broadcast Fourth Quarter Earnings
Conference Call on the Internet. California Pizza Kitchen,
Inc., will hold its fourth quarter investor conference call on Tuesday,
January 28, 2002 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. .... [more]
22 Jan, 2003
Weight Watchers Announces Year End Conference Call.
Weight Watchers International Inc. will release its results for the
fiscal 2002 fourth quarter and year-end after the NYSE close on Monday,
February 24th, with live audio webcast on the internet. .... [more]
22 Jan, 2003
Subway Restaurants Named Number One Franchise. The Subway
restaurant chain has been named the number one franchise opportunity
for 2003 by Entrepreneur Magazine in its 24th annual Franchise 500
rankings. .... [more]
21 Jan, 2003
Jack in the Box Inc. to Enter Fast-Casual Restaurant Segment.
Jack in the Box Inc., operator and franchiser of Jack in the Box(R)
restaurants, today announced that it has entered the fast-casual restaurant
category by acquiring Qdoba Restaurant Corporation, operator and franchiser
of Qdoba Mexican Grill(R). .... [more]
21 Jan, 2003
Yum moves two divisions from Lexington to Louisville.
Yum Brands Inc. is moving the corporate headquarters and restaurant
support centers for its Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Food
divisions from Lexington, Ky., to Louisville. .... [more]
21 Jan, 2003
Keyes: 7-Eleven is headed 'back to the future'. Since
taking over the top post at Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. three years
ago, Jim Keyes has been on a mission to "continually redefine convenience"
in the 24,000 stores he oversees. .... [more]
20 Jan, 2003
Toys R Us Says President Is Leaving. Toys R Us Inc.,
the nation's biggest toy retail chain, said on Monday that President
Gregory R. Staley is leaving the company for personal reasons. ....
[more]
20 Jan, 2003
SuperShuttle drivers driven to find alternatives. SuperShuttle
International Inc.'s planned changes in its Tampa Bay area operation
prompted some of its drivers - members of the International Brotherhood
of Teamsters - to consider a strike. .... [more]
20 Jan, 2003
Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin' Donuts target Bay area. Allied
Domecq Quick Service Restaurants Inc. announced Monday that it plans
to significantly increase development of Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin'
Donuts stores in the Tampa and Fort Myers areas. .... [more]
20 Jan, 2003
City may order McD's to go from hospitals. Mayor Bloomberg's
planned campaign to reduce obesity in children could mean that the
McDonald's franchises in three New York municipal hospitals could
get the boot when leases are up. .... [more]
20 Jan, 2003
Golden tan: Beckman links Tan Co., Gold's Gym. In March,
Todd Beckman, founder and owner of The Tan Co., plans to open a $2
million, 30,000-square-foot fitness facility in Maryland Heights that
will house a Gold's Gym and The Tan Co. .... [more]
20 Jan, 2003
Carlson Wagonlit Travel Helps Franchisees Localize Email Campaigns.
ExactTarget announced today that Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates
is equipping its nearly 1,000 U.S. franchise offices with ExactTarget's
ChannelConnect software for fast do-it-yourself creation of graphically
rich email campaigns tailored to their local needs. .... [more]
20 Jan, 2003
Wendy's founder inducted to ad Hall of Fame. Dave Thomas,
the late founder of Wendy's International Inc., will be inducted into
the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Fame. ....
[more]
20 Jan, 2003
Wall Street gives chilly response to new McDonald's chief.
McDonald's isn't about to reinvent itself, after all. The company's
new CEO, Jim Cantalupo, spoke for the first time on Thursday, 15 days
after taking the helm, about his big-picture plans for the struggling
corporation. .... [more]
17 Jan, 2003
7-Eleven, Inc. to Webcast 2002 Fourth Quarter Earnings Conference
Call And Year End Results. 7-Eleven, Inc. announced today
that it will webcast its quarterly conference call on Thursday, January
30, 2003 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time. .... [more]
16 Jan, 2003
USHCC To Host Free Franchising Seminar in Dallas, Texas.
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) will offer
a free franchise seminar series in Dallas, Texas. The seminar begins
with a Franchise Orientation Session on February 6, 2003, from 6:00
to 9:00 p.m. .... [more]
15 Jan, 2003
Ex-Taco Bell exec takes over Burger King. Burger King
has hired an experienced fast-food chain executive to be its new president,
filling a job vacated last month. .... [more]
15 Jan, 2003
Church's Chicken completes WETCO Restaurant deal. Church's
Chicken has completed a deal with WETCO Restaurant Group LLC to convert
35 company-operated restaurants throughout Louisiana, into franchise
ownership. .... [more]
15 Jan, 2003
Dunkin' Donuts Owner Sentenced for Tax Fraud, Reports U.S. Attorney.
The owner of several Dunkin' Donuts franchises was sentenced yesterday
in federal court on tax charges. .... [more]
15 Jan, 2003
Worldwide Restaurant Concepts, Inc. Announces Ten-Restaurant
Franchise Agreement at Sizzler USA. Worldwide Restaurant Concepts,
Inc. today announced that its Sizzler USA division has signed an area
development agreement with T. Dhillon, Inc. that will add ten new
Sizzler® restaurants in Northern California over the next five years.
.... [more]
15 Jan, 2003
Old Chicago plots Midwest expansion. The Old Chicago
restaurant chain announced it will expand its Midwestern presence
as the company plans to open nine new franchise locations in four
states over the next five years. .... [more]
15 Jan, 2003
Red Robin to Open First Location in Wenatchee, Washington.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. will open the doors to its first Wenatchee
restaurant at 11:00 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20 at 1306 N. Miller Avenue
next to Pier 1 at Valley North Center. .... [more]
15 Jan, 2003
Applebee's opens 1,500th restaurant. Applebee's International
Inc. will open its 1,500th Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar on
Tuesday in LaGrange, Ga., the company announced. .... [more]
14 Jan, 2003
Shop around for your size of franchise. Franchising
is not for everyone. While you may be working for yourself, you still
must answer to the franchisor. .... [more]
13 Jan, 2003
Wingstop Doubles Growth Again - Third Year Straight.
Jim Deering, president of Wingstop Restaurants Inc., announced today
that the company doubled its store openings in 2002 over the previous
year's openings. .... [more]
7 Jan, 2003
Assist-2-Sell Adds 69 Franchises. Assist-2-Sell(R),
North America's largest full service residential discount real estate
company, added 69 new franchises in 2002 bringing the total number
of Assist-2-Sell franchises in North America to 219. .... [more]
7 Jan, 2003
Former Subway franchisee returns to restaurant biz.
Ralph Meirowsky, who used to be a Subway franchisee, has waited out
a non-compete contract and is going into competition with Subway.
.... [more]
6 Jan, 2003
Work for yourself: Becoming a franchisee gains in popularity.
Mike Burke hated his job at the bank so quickly looked for another
way to work. Now, Burke has made a successful career out of franchising
and is actively seeking other types of franchises to add to his collection.
.... [more]
6 Jan, 2003
New Franchise Outposts Serve Changing Tastes. A handful
of Latin-American fast-food chains have branched out after putting
down strong enough roots at home. Learn more about these new opportunities
for American entrepreneurs. .... [more]
6 Jan, 2003
SBA study: Franchise not always best route for small biz.
Thinking about starting a small business? Don't assume a franchise
is your key to success. .... [more]
6 Jan, 2003
PETA to target KFC in national campaign. People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals is starting a multinational campaign
charging that Yum Brands Inc. subsidiary KFC Corp. is cruel to animals.
.... [more]
6 Jan, 2003
Whataburger to Sign Largest Ever Agreement for Florida.
Whataburger, Inc. will sign its largest agreement for Florida in a
star-studded ceremony at its flagship Whataburger By the Bay restaurant
on Wednesday, January 8th at 10:15 a.m. CST. .... [more]
6 Jan, 2003
Party Personnel will market franchises. Overland Park
hospitality staffing company Party Personnel LLC has announced plans
to franchise its concept in Kansas City and two other cities in 2003.
.... [more]
3 Jan, 2003
Pioneer in Home Organizing Celebrates 25 Years of Business.
Simplifying peoples' lives through home organization and design since
1978, California Closets has grown from a small closet company to
a global home storage solutions businesswith more than 100 franchises
in nine countries. .... [more]
3 Jan, 2003
Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund & Boston Pizza International
Announce New Store Roll-In. Eight Boston Pizza restaurants
have been added to the "Royalty Pool" on which Boston Pizza Royalties
Limited Partnership, earns royalty revenue equal to 4% of the franchise
revenue of these restaurants. .... [more]
3 Jan, 2003
McDonald's Ends High-Tech Initiative. McDonald's Corp.,
in a cost-saving move, said it has pulled the plug on what had been
envisioned as a global digital network linking its fast-food restaurants,
headquarters and vendors. .... [more]
2 Jan, 2003
Franchisees Team Up Amid a Tough Climate. Overcapacity
and poor management plague the franchise industry in the wake of a
recent boom. Learn how sophisticated players are taking advantage
of this opportunity by banding together. .... [more]
2 Jan, 2003
Burger King to Sell Whopper for 99 Cents. Burger King
Corp. will put its flagship Whopper hamburger on sale for 99 cents
beginning Friday, with the promotion running until Jan. 20, the chain
said Thursday. .... [more]
2 Jan, 2003
Toys "R" Us Announces Webcast of Its Holiday Sales Results.
Toys "R" Us, Inc., will announce its Holiday Sales results on Thursday,
January 9, 2003 and will webcast its conference call at 9 a.m. (ET)
that same day. .... [more]
2 Jan, 2003
REZconnect Technologies, Inc. Announces Partnership with YourTravelBiz.com.
REZconnect Technologies, Inc. today announced it has entered into
a 20 year exclusive Agreement to partner with YourTravelBiz.com, a
powerful network marketing company specializing in providing interactive
travel websites for its members. .... [more]
2 Jan, 2003
Entrepreneur's 24th Annual Franchise 500. If you believe
2003 is your year to buy a franchise, Entrepreneur's 24th Annual Franchise
500® is a great place to start your search. .... [more]
1 Jan, 2003
Hold the Fries. Mighty McDonald's has long been the
epitome of Pax Americana. Lately the multinational giant has stumbled.
Here's why. .... [more]
1 Jan, 2003
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