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 UNITED STATES FRANCHISE NEWS ARCHIVE
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: : May 2004
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Lone Tree snubs IKEA. The city of Lone Tree is saying
"no thanks" to IKEA, one of the world's biggest home-goods
retailers, and potentially millions in sales tax revenue, because
its city design guidelines won't accommodate IKEA's signature blue
and yellow stores. .... [more]
31 May, 2004
Coffeehouse has big dreams. Louisville's Java Brewing
Co. has perfected its business and hopes to franchise concept nationwide.
.... [more]
31 May, 2004
Truly Nolen eyes overseas expansion. Truly Nolen's bright
yellow vehicles, which sport black mouse ears and tails, soon will
tool around in seven new countries, France, Pakistan, China, Jordan,
the Philippines, Spain and El Salvador. .... [more]
31 May, 2004
National glory. Glory Days takes red, white and blue
all over the country, with plans for 30 locations and franchises.
.... [more]
31 May, 2004
Area Pizza Huts re-opened after insurance issue resolved.
A company spokesperson confirmed that the doors of 49 Pizza Huts in
San Diego County reopened Sunday in time for the lunch crowd. ....
[more]
30 May, 2004
Ultimate Franchise buys Obee's. Ultimate Franchise
Systems of Florida said Friday it has signed a letter to buy Obee's Franchise
Systems also based in Florida. .... [more]
28 May, 2004
Pizza Hut owner temporarily closes San Diego stores.
The Las Vegas company that owns and operates 62 Pizza Hut restaurants
in San Diego has temporarily closed its franchise locations while
it attempts to secure workers compensation insurance for its employees,
according to Pizza Hut Inc. .... [more]
28 May, 2004
Wild Noodles to open in Denver. The Arizona-based
Wild Noodles chain of fast-casual restaurants opens its first location in the
Denver area Monday, June 7. .... [more]
28 May, 2004
One location, two menus. One longtime Colorado
restaurant chain may be breaking new ground by sharing not just real estate -
but also the kitchen - with a competitor in an effort to expand nationwide. ....
[more]
28 May, 2004
Famous Dave's Enters Development Agreements for Nine New Restaurants.
Famous Dave's has entered into two development agreements with
franchisees granting them the rights to franchise nine new Famous
Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que(R) restaurants. .... [more]
27 May, 2004
Liberty Fitness joins the race. Liberty Harper
has muscled her way into the world of fitness clubs with her own version of women-only
gyms. .... [more]
27 May, 2004
Crye-Leike opens franchise in Batesville. Crye-Leike
Realtors has opened a franchise in Batesville, Ark., the company's 19th franchise.
.... [more]
27 May, 2004
Golftec swings into Austin market. Golftec Enterprises
LLC., a Denver-based provider of high tech golf instruction, opened its first
Austin operation inside the Golfsmith store at its Arboretum location in North
Austin. .... [more]
26 May, 2004
Barbecue franchisee files for bankruptcy. Carolina Blue
Enterprises, which owns the Red Hot & Blue restaurant on Elliott
Road, has filed for bankruptcy, claiming it owes nearly $2.5 million.
.... [more]
25 May, 2004
Low-carb diets leave Krispy Kreme weak. Krispy Kreme
Doughnuts reported Tuesday its first quarterly net loss since it went
public four years ago and cut the number of planned new stores as
doughnut sales suffer amid the low-carb diet craze. .... [more]
25 May, 2004
Carvel Ice Cream scoops up revival strategy. Ice Cream
chain Carvel Ice Cream Corp. is repainting stores, making them more
kid friendly, adding new flavors and talking to franchisees more than
ever as it tries to make its way back to the top. .... [more]
25 May, 2004
Fishing for franchisees. Thirty years in the
pizza business has taught Bob Mazziotti, vice president of U.S. franchise development
for Little Caesars, much about wannabe-franchisees. .... [more]
25 May, 2004
Pancake Chain Adopts E-Business. Restaurant-Management
system at IHOP is designed to improve data collection and better serve
franchises and restaurant patrons. .... [more]
24 May, 2004
McDonald's wades deeper into DVDs. Blockbuster
has a very big-footed rival about to stomp on its turf: Ronald McDonald. McDonald's
on Monday will announce plans to begin testing DVD rental kiosks at all 105 Denver
stores. .... [more]
24 May, 2004
Early success spurs Amazon Cafe to grow. Amazon Cafe,
a small Philadelphia-based franchise that anchors its menu with fruit
smoothies, opened its first franchise location outside its home market
last year. .... [more]
24 May, 2004
Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits Set to Expand in 12 U.S.
Markets. Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits is targeting 12 key markets for
expansion and is looking for franchisees to develop traditional freestanding and
in-line restaurants throughout these areas. .... [more]
24 May, 2004
Tasty sales at Kremeworks. Seattle's Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
franchisee says business in the Northwest remains strong, even though
investors recently tossed the North Carolina-based parent company
into the deep fryer because of poor results. .... [more]
24 May, 2004
The scoop on Boston's ice cream war. Greater Boston,
considered by many to be the capital of super-premium ice cream, is
under assault. .... [more]
23 May, 2004
Castus Low Carb Superstores Open in Louisville, Kentucky.
Castus Low Carb Superstores, America’s largest and fastest growing
low carb retail chain, announced the grand opening of it’s first
of two Louisville retail stores. .... [more]
22 May, 2004
Closed Gold's Gym locations were operating illegally.
A new owner has rushed in to help bail out at least one of the Gold's Gym locations
that closed in the Dallas area this past weekend. .... [more]
21 May, 2004
BBQ chain sues franchisee. Red Hot & Blue,
a barbecue restaurant chain, has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to force
its decade-old Triangle franchise to sell back three restaurants to the company
for violating franchise agreements. .... [more]
21 May, 2004
WLFI Taps Franchising Veteran to Execute SW Expansion.
Weight Loss Forever International (WLFI), announced today that Mr. Robert Palmer,
a 30-year veteran of the franchising industry, will immediately initiate an expansion
program in the southwest U.S. .... [more]
21 May, 2004
Johnny Rockets Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Hamburger.
Johnny Rockets celebrates the century milestone of the hamburger during
national hamburger month. .... [more]
21 May, 2004
Burger chain to add new locations. Whata-expansion
is probably the best way to describe the aggressive growth plans the once-silent
Whataburger chain has for the Tallahassee market. .... [more]
21 May, 2004
CEO says his health problems won't slow McDonald's return.
McDonald's CEO Charlie Bell looked refreshed and healthy as he addressed
more than 700 shareholders at McDonald's annual meeting in Oak Brook,
Ill., on Thursday. .... [more]
20 May, 2004
SunBelt launches national franchise. Jacksonville-based
SunBelt Coffee and Water is starting a national franchise called Coffee Perks.
.... [more]
20 May, 2004
Back Yard Burgers, Yum! call off deal. The Memphis-based
burger franchise company and Yum! have terminated discussions with respect to
any future license or sub-license agreements, according to Back Yard Burgers.
.... [more]
20 May, 2004
Sandwich-salad chain Briazz taking Chicago out of its club.
Briazz, a lunch-to-go store that offers salads and sandwiches to downtown
workers, is bagging Chicago. .... [more]
20 May, 2004
Smoothie chain plans Colorado growth. Robeks
- Fruit Smoothies & Healthy Eats, a Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based chain of
smoothie stores, plans to open at least 20 Colorado locations in the next four
or five years. .... [more]
20 May, 2004
Blockbuster acquires Rhino Video Games. Blockbuster
Inc. has acquired the parent company of Gainesville-based Rhino Video Games, a
regional games retail chain. .... [more]
19 May, 2004
Domino's Pizza details cost for piece of IPO pie. Domino's
Pizza, the second-largest pizza chain, Wednesday set its planned initial
public offering at 24.1 million shares at an estimated price of $15
to $17 a share. .... [more]
19 May, 2004
7-Eleven Franchisees Sign Accord. Owners of
approximately 1,000 7-Eleven franchise stores met Saturday's deadline to sign
an agreement with 7-Eleven Inc., even as a coalition representing the franchisees
proceeded with a lawsuit against the chain. .... [more]
18 May, 2004
Papa John’s franchisee renames 30 pizza units Papa
Tony’s. A franchisee of 30 Papa John's has withdrawn his stores from
the pizza 2,900-plus-unit system and renamed them Papa Tony's. .... [more]
18 May, 2004
Quality Restaurant Ventures Opens First Famous Uncle Al's Hot
Dogs. Quality Restaurant Ventures, Inc. is pleased to announce
the opening of the first Famous Uncle Al's Hot Dogs location in the
Central Florida Market. .... [more]
18 May, 2004
Albany coffee options expand with new Dutch Bros. kiosk.
Commuters and caffeine addicts now have another option as Dutch Bros. opened its
second Albany location this past week. .... [more]
18 May, 2004
Bear Rock Cafe Coming To Austin. Bear Rock
Franchise Systems, Inc. today announced an area development agreement to expand
its quick-casual cafe franchise into Austin, Texas. .... [more]
18 May, 2004
California Tortilla franchises into N. Va. and beyond.
Home-grown restaurant group California Tortilla has signed its first
area development deal: up to 15 units in Northern Virginia. .... [more]
17 May, 2004
Applebee's puts Weight Watchers on all U.S. menus.
Applebee's International Inc. introduced its Weight Watchers International Inc.
menu in all its nearly 1,600 restaurants throughout the country. .... [more]
17 May, 2004
Is franchising a good investment for you? Franchising
has been around for many years, but low interest rates, stubborn unemployment
and investors fed up with the stock market have made them especially attractive.
.... [more]
16 May, 2004
Dunkin' Donuts appeal case set to shake up franchising.
For the first time ever, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
will rule in a franchise non-compete case, and the decision will have
an impact on everyone who has signed franchise contracts. .... [more]
15 May, 2004
Name change reaps profits for UPS stores. Shipping is
up at The UPS Store since the packing franchise's owner, delivery
giant United Parcel Service, convinced more than 3,000 franchisees
across the United States to change their name from Mail Boxes Etc.
about a year ago. .... [more]
15 May, 2004
Dunkin' Donuts to Establish Retail Presence in Select
Wal-Mart Stores. Wal-Mart and Dunkin' Donuts, the world's largest coffee-and-baked
goods chain, announced today the opening of the first Dunkin' Donuts shop within
a Wal-Mart store. .... [more]
13 May, 2004
Fuddruckers Expansion Continues Nationwide.
Fuddruckers, "Home of the World's Greatest Hamburgers," recently announced
the opening of four new franchised restaurants in March and April for a total
of 7 openings since October. .... [more]
13 May, 2004
Sandwich savant and business guru fuel Gandolfo's.
Craig Gandolph loves the art of making a good sandwich. Dan Pool would rather
focus on the bottom line. Together, this odd couple is growing Gandolfo's from
a Utah delicatessen business into a national submarine sandwich phenomenon. ....
[more]
13 May, 2004
Volvo Rents looks to open five stores in St. Louis
area. Volvo Construction Equipment Rents Inc. is seeking to open up to
five locations in the St. Louis area in the next five years, the company said
Wednesday. .... [more]
12 May, 2004
Big Mike's seeks franchisees. Big Mike's Super
Subs, the Madison-based sandwich chain, is looking to propel its growth through
franchised stores. .... [more]
12 May, 2004
Papa John's says franchisees upbeat. Papa John's
International chief financial officer David Flanery could have been forgiven some
misgivings as he faced franchisees yesterday at the annual operators' conference
in Louisville. .... [more]
12 May, 2004
Franchisors Seek Diverse Entrepreneurs - Learn More
at June Forum. Strategic Research Institute announces the premier conference
designed to help franchise development teams across hotel/motel, foodservice,
hospitality and retail chains tap into the growing power of ethnic and diverse
entrepreneurs. .... [more]
11 May, 2004
Carvel Ice Cream Announces Record Franchise Sales Growth.
As Carvel celebrates 70 years of sweet success, the nation's first retail ice
cream franchise announced today record franchise sales growth during the first
trimester of 2004 by granting 73 new franchise licenses and opening 15 new locations.
.... [more]
11 May, 2004
ACE Cash Express Hosts Record Attendance at Annual
Franchise Conference. ACE Cash Express, Inc. announced it recently hosted
its annual franchise conference in San Antonio, TX on May 5 and May 6, 2004. ....
[more]
11 May, 2004
Epmark spreads its reach through franchising.
While traditional home builders spend considerable cash and time moving into new
markets, a Dublin-based condo builder has developed its growing national network
through the less familiar path of franchising. .... [more]
10 May, 2004
Low-carb diets create niche rush. Small-business
owners have responded quickly to the national diet craze by opening several stores
selling popular low-carbohydrate food products, but there are already signs that
the fad is peaking. .... [more]
10 May, 2004
Captain D's Names New Franchise Development Head.
Captain D's kicked off its latest phase of franchise development by announcing
the hiring of a new member to its senior leadership team. .... [more]
10 May, 2004
Raleigh storage firm enters Triad market. Raleigh-based
Pack-Rat Portable Mini Storage has moved into the Greensboro market, leasing a
51,000-square-foot warehouse from Tyco. .... [more]
10 May, 2004
Sandwiches get 'hot'. Dallas restaurant entrepreneur
Jeff Sinelli is betting that the next red-hot franchise concept will involve something
that's familiarly down-home: sandwiches. .... [more]
10 May, 2004
Next Generation Media Announces Three New Franchises.
Next Generation Media Corporation today announced it has signed three new franchisees
in New York, South Carolina, and Ohio. .... [more]
10 May, 2004
Lexington restaurant franchise to go smoke free.
Thomas and King Inc., a Lexington, Ky.-based franchisee of about 80 Applebee's
restaurants, plans to make all of its restaurants in Kentucky, Ohio, Arizona,
Pennsylvania and Indiana smoke free. .... [more]
10 May, 2004
Englewood residents bring first time Australian franchise
to town. Englewood residents Sandra and Hector Rendon are now hoping to
make a new notch in the computer service industry by bringing the rapidly growing
Australian franchise Cartridge World to West New York. .... [more]
9 May, 2004
Franchises feel boxed in at UPS. United Parcel
Service has seen its profitability rise dramatically in the year since rebranding
3,300 postal and business service retailer Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) nationwide into
UPS Stores, but the same is not true for some outlets, even with the increased
shipping volumes. .... [more]
7 May, 2004
Krispy Kreme is latest victim of low-carb diets.
The doughnut maker said Friday that lower demand for its high-calorie treats -
which the company attributes in part to the low-carb diet phenomenon - was behind
its decision to lower its profit guidance. .... [more]
7 May, 2004
Bakery-cafe expanding to Denver. Kolache Factory
aTexas bakery-cafe familiar to Houstonians will be expanding to Denver later this
year. .... [more]
7 May, 2004
Little Caesars sues franchisees for breach of contract.
Little Caesar Enterprises has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Eastern
Michigan accusing more than three-dozen of its franchisees of breach of contract
and trademark infringement. .... [more]
6 May, 2004
Baja Fresh gets new COO. Sally Abshire, who
has spent 28 years at Wendy's International Inc., has been named chief operating
officer of the company's Baja Fresh Mexican Grill chain. .... [more]
6 May, 2004
Pressure Mounting on McDonald's to Name New No. 2.
Pressure is mounting for McDonald's Corp. to name a new second in command behind
its newly installed chief, who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer, analysts
said on Thursday. .... [more]
6 May, 2004
HomeVestors adds fifth Nashville franchisee. Thornton's
RD Enterprises LLC has signed on as the fifth franchise for HomeVestors in the
Nashville area. .... [more]
6 May, 2004
Franchises: How much can you earn? The people
who consider buying franchise businesses range from laid-off managers to ambitious
entrepreneurs. .... [more]
5 May, 2004
Pickups Plus acquires division of auto care firm.
Pickups Plus Inc. closed May 4 on an acquisition that adds 17 employees to its
rolls and doubles its revenues. .... [more]
5 May, 2004
Burger King Reports Progress at Annual Franchisee Meeting.
Brad Blum, Burger King Corporation's Chief Executive Officer, today reported on
the progress of the company's turnaround in an address to franchisees and employees.
.... [more]
5 May, 2004
Cold Stone prepares to debut in Los Lunas. Cold
Stone Creamery's 10th outlet in New Mexico makes its debut in Los Lunas on May
22. .... [more]
5 May, 2004
Moe's Southwest Grill and Mama Fu's Noodle House Head
West. Raving Brands announces today that it has signed multiple franchisee
groups in Southern California to open 10 Moe's Southwest Grills and four Mama
Fu's Noodle Houses throughout the state. .... [more]
5 May, 2004
Franchise businesses becoming more attainable for minorities.
Increasingly franchisors, having filled up the suburbs, are targeting inner cities.
Meanwhile, the elements of franchise ownership are slowly coming into place for
minorities. .... [more]
4 May, 2004
Krispy Kreme franchisee rides into Wal-Mart. Austin-based
Glazing Saddles Ltd., the Central Texas franchise for Krispy Kreme doughnuts,
has landed a partnership with retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to sell the doughnuts
at area Wal-Mart stores. .... [more]
4 May, 2004
Surface Tech Inc. Licensee Accelerates U.S. Franchise
Expansion. Surface Tech Inc. announced 13 new wheel repair Franchises
awarded by its licensee Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists. .... [more]
4 May, 2004
Big Boy Restaurants International LLC Signs Area Franchise
Development Agreement in Nevada. Big Boy Restaurants International LLC
announces the signing of an area franchise development agreement to open 16 Bob's
Big Boy restaurants over the next eight years. .... [more]
4 May, 2004
IKEA considering Denver for store. IKEA, the
innovative Swedish furniture-store chain known for its assemble-it-yourself wood
products, has its eye on metro Denver for one of its big, bright blue and yellow
stores. .... [more]
3 May, 2004
Marketing firm goes on the road. SAS Marketing
& Promotions Group, a Reisterstown-based firm that sells promotional products,
is taking the company on the road. .... [more]
3 May, 2004
Upstart Intero grabs a national star. A
leader on the national stage has left the helm of one of the country's largest
realty firms to become chairman of Intero Real Estate Services Inc. .... [more]
3 May, 2004
Wyndham offers time share franchise concept.
Orlando's Tempus Resorts International Ltd. is being touted as a model for a new
brand-name franchise concept by Dallas-based Wyndham International Inc. .... [more]
3 May, 2004
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