Showing posts with label Franchise Expansion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Franchise Expansion. Show all posts

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Philly Pretzel Factory CEO Dan DiZio Featured on Fox Business News

Philly Pretzel Factory CEO Dan DiZio was featured on the Fox Business News on January 28, 2013. DiZio was called on, along with a panel of CEOs from other major franchises, to discuss his views on expanding the Philly Pretzel Factory in the current economy.



To see the full interview click here.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Philly Pretzel Factory in Nation's Restaurant News

Happy New Year! Philly Pretzel was featured in Nation’s Restaurant News in an article titled, “Restaurant chains to drive growth through nontraditional locations,” that ran on the website on January 2, 2013.

The article discussed brands who are partnering with other retailers. The article shared that Philly Pretzel Factory recently opened their first location in a Walmart store earlier this year.

Restaurant chains to drive growth through nontraditional locations
By Mark Brandau for Nation's Restaurant News




Click on the selection above to read the entire article.








Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Philly Pretzel Factory featured in the Central Penn Business Journal

Philly Pretzel Factory was recently featured CPBJ.com in an article titled, "Philly Pretzel Factory planning Central Pa. growth."  The article discusses the success of Philly Pretzel referring to the franchise growth in 2007  and 2008 and how it plans on expanding with 10 new locations in 2012.  Click here for the entire article or see below.

Philly Pretzel planning Central Pa. growth
By: Jason Scott

With locations already on the East and West shores as well as Lancaster, the popular Philly Pretzel Factory franchise could soon be adding stores in Central Pennsylvania.

“We could easily add a few more stores in the Harrisburg general area,” said President Marty Ferrill.

The pretzel maker has 119 stores — nearly 70 in Pennsylvania, including three in the midstate — and operates in eight states. The goal is 10 new locations in 2012, Ferrill said.

“It’s not like it was,” he said, referring to the franchise growth in 2007 and 2008 when the company added about 75 stores.

Founded in 1998, Philly Pretzel Factory has begun building smaller-scale factory locations to reflect changes in the marketplace and jumpstart expansion. The new-look locations are about 300 to 400 square feet and cost about $125,000 for franchise owners, Ferrill said.

The traditional factory locations are about 1,200 square feet and cost about $250,000, he said. Many are freestanding locations in strip mall shopping centers.

The kiosk model is designed for smaller mall spaces and entertainment venues. The company has opened locations at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in the Lehigh Valley and at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Philly Pretzel Factory featured in QSR

Philly Pretzel Factory was featured in an article in QSR titled, “Honey, I Shrunk the Store.” The article was built from interviews with Marty Ferrill and franchisee Dave Grimaldi discussing the new kiosk option launched by Philly Pretzel Factory. Dave was the first of the existing franchisees to purchase the new model and has plans to open in it Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia. Marty discusses the decision to finally launch the kiosk to reach a greater number of potential customers and open in more heavy traffic areas. In addition, the new model also allows entrepreneurs to open the kiosks more quickly and only cost about $100,000 for the build-out. Click here to read the full article, or begin reading below.

Honey, I Shrunk the Store
By John Morell

One concept hopes an inexpensive, portable kiosk will jumpstart expansion.

As the U.S. economy shows signs of new growth in 2012, many quick serves are cautiously looking at expansion plans to see if they can jumpstart the growth that stalled with the recession.

Some franchise concepts are banking on the fact that cheaper, smaller footprints might be more attractive to potential franchisees in this rocky lending environment. One in particular, Philly Pretzel Factory, is hoping a new kiosk offering will draw new franchise partners and excite its existing franchisee base.

(Read More)

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Philly Pretzel Factory featured in Nation's Restaurant News

Philly Pretzel Factory was featured in an article in Nation’s Restaurant News titled, “Growth Concepts: Restaurant executives share franchising, growth strategies.” The article had a section built from Philly Pretzel Factory COO, Marty Ferrill, who discussed how the brand poised themselves for growth over 2012 and the coming years with a goal to open 25 locations this year. Philly Pretzel Factory just launched its new kiosk prototype to help new and existing franchisees open more quickly at a lower investment cost in malls, theme parks and transportation stations. With the kiosk costing just half of the traditional build-out, this now offers qualified franchisees the opportunity to open their Philly Pretzel Factory without having to looking for large business loans and makes it easier to secure financing. Click here to view the full article, or begin reading Philly Pretzel Factory's section below.

Growth concepts: Restaurant executives share franchising, growth strategies
by Mark Brandau

Marty Ferrill, chief operating officer, Philly Pretzel Factory
System size: 122 units
Growth targets: 25 openings this year, agreements for 25 more
Source for optimism: Small-footprint kiosk prototype

Our normal investment for a full bakery is typically $250,000 to $275,000 all in, and we were running into some challenges financing that. So we shrunk everything, from our ovens to our mixers, and made the footprint smaller, from about 1,400 square feet into a kiosk as small as 300 to 400 square feet. It’s a dramatic decrease in rent and build-out costs; people are now looking at a total investment of $125,000 including the franchise fee.


(Read More)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Philly Pretzel Factory featured in Monroeville Times-Express

Philly Pretzel Factory was featured in the Monroeville Times-Express in an article titled “Local businessman to open pretzel shop." In the article, it talked about how Joe’s background in franchising and the success he has experienced working with major brands. Joe discussed his plans for growth of Philly Pretzel Factory in the area, and how he and his brother plan to expand further throughout the greater Pittsburgh area. The article also included some quotes from Marty Ferrill about his excitement for the Kallen brothers to do great things for the brand in the market, especially since Pittsburgh is as far west as the brand has gone. Click here to view the article or begin reading below.

Local businessman to open pretzel shop
By Karen Kadilak

The Philly Pretzel Factory store opening Friday at 3968 William Penn Highway in Monroeville is the latest in a string of businesses for Joe Kallen.

Kallen, 34, has owned franchises with three companies.

(Read More)

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Franchisee Profile: Lou Sist of Philly Pretzel Factory Bluffton, SC

Recently we have highlighted some of our Philly Pretzel Factory franchisees. Today the spotlight is on Lou Sist, the franchisee of the Bluffton, SC Philly Pretzel Factory.

Franchise Location:
50 Burnt Church Road, Bluffton, SC 29910


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How Lou Sist Got Started with Philly Pretzel Factory…
Lou’s wife Jennifer grew up in Philadelphia, just two blocks from the original Philly Pretzel Factory location. Although a Detroit native himself, he soon learned of the delicious pretzels made by Philly Pretzel Factory.

What Intrigued Lou Sist about Philly Pretzel Factory…
Lou was amazed by the outstanding quality and value of Philly Pretzel Factory’s products. He says there is nothing else you can buy for so little that will fill you up. In addition to his strong belief in the product, Lou liked the benefits that come with being a Philly Pretzel Factory franchisee, including branding, support and guidance.

Something Interesting about Lou Sist’s Story…
Lou has an amazing life story. He spent seven years in college with the intent of becoming a medical doctor, but in the end decided medical school wasn’t for him. He then opened a tanning salon in Detroit which he ran for 10 years. Ever the entrepreneur, his next venture was a successful floor tiling company. Recently, the rough economy’s affect on the construction market forced him to scale back his enterprise. He decided to open a Philly Pretzel Factory franchise to provide his 6-year-old daughter with future financial stability.

Lou also believes in actively participating in his store and the surrounding community. He puts in 100 hours a week at the Bluffton location and knows many of his customers by name. Lou also sponsors a T-ball and soccer team, as well as providing catering for charity events.

Lou sees great expansion possibilities in the Charleston and Savannah markets. Both feature large quantities of foot traffic and hungry college kids, two factors Lou thinks would make Philly Pretzel Factory locations in those markets a huge success.

Where specifically did Lou Sist learn about Philly Pretzel Factory?
Lou was first introduced to Philly Pretzel Factory as a consumer. He later decided to open a franchise after researching the market and brand.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Franchisee Profile: Francine Petrone, Franchisee of the Lawerenceville, NJ Location

Recently, we have been highlighting our Philly Pretzel Factory Franchisees. Today, we are putting the spotlight on Francine Petrone, franchisee of the Lawerenceville, NJ location.

Franchise Location: 2068 Brunswick Ave, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648


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How Francine Petrone Got Started with Philly Pretzel Factory…
Francine was born and raised in northeast Philadelphia. She remembers Philadelphia soft pretzels being a part of her life as early as her childhood. Growing up and living in the area as an adult, she became familiar with the Philly Pretzel Factory brand as it continued to expand and saturate the area around her. Francine was a loyal Philly Pretzel Factory customer before becoming a franchisee.

What Intrigued Francine Petrone about Philly Pretzel Factory…
Francine was intrigued by the fast expansion and growth of the Philly Pretzel Factory brand. She witnessed firsthand the growth and expansion possibilities in her hometown of Mayfair, Pennsylvania and knew that a location would be successful in Lawrenceville. It only took one talk with Dan DiZio for Francine to realize this was the business for her. She was intrigued by the passion Dan had for the brand and the support that the franchise system offered her. After working as a physical therapist for close to twenty years, she decided to live her entrepreneurial dream and open her location in Lawrenceville in June of 2007 with her husband, Keith.

Something Interesting about Francine Petrone’s Story…
Francine is deeply involved in the community. She regularly hosts “Pretzel Tours” for her location, where local children are allowed to tour the location and learn how to twist their own pretzels. She is also involved in local businesses and schools.
Where specifically did Francine Petrone learn about Philly Pretzel Factory?
Francine was first introduced to Philly Pretzel Factory as a consumer. She was surrounded by the growing brand and witnessed Philly Pretzel Factory’s expansion firsthand in northeast Philadelphia.
 
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