(Newswire.net — September 13, 2018) — Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Cold Stone Creamery has been a beloved ice cream parlor franchise since 1988. Today, this iconic brand is represented by more than a thousand locations throughout the United States and additional locations around the world. If you’ve already determined that you would like to start your own Cold Stone franchise, you may be wondering what the best location is for your new business. To help you answer this question, keep reading to discover what you need to know about selecting your Cold Stone franchise location.
Understand the Cold Stone Concept
The key to choosing a successful Cold Stone franchise location is knowing who your target customers are likely to be. Just because you have a general idea of what Cold Stone Creamery offers doesn’t mean you truly understand the company’s business model. Fortunately, there are many important details you can get when doing your initial homeowner to really get a solid understanding of who a typical Cold Stone customer is and what they expect when coming in for a tasty treat.
Scope Out Your Local Area
It’s perfectly fine to start your search for the right Cold Stone location within your local area. After all, you want a place that’s easy for you to get to on a regular basis once everything is up and running. But don’t be deterred if there are already other Cold Stone Creamery restaurants in the same area. If, for instance, you are in an area a significant population and a steady flow of vehicle or foot traffic, there may be room for more than one Cold Stone to serve hungry customers looking for uniquely appealing and appetizing treats.
Embrace Cold Stone’s ‘Small Footprint’
It doesn’t take a huge amount of space to set up a viable Cold Stone Creamery franchise. In fact, many of the company’s stores are nestled right inside of shopping centers or malls or adjacent to bustling supermarkets or a movie theater. This means there are many possible locations available for your consideration when determining the best location for your franchise, even if there is limited retail space in your area. And because of the flexibility with layouts, it’s entirely possible to set up a franchise location in a mall food court or in a small area next to popular fast food chains.
Research Your Preferred Location
The next step in determining the best location for a Cold Stone Creamery franchise is to research your preferred location. One simple way to do this is to look at the franchise spot you are considering. When you do so, ask yourself the following questions:
• Can traffic conveniently turn into the location (if it’s freestanding or not inside of a mall or shopping center)
• Is there enough parking in the immediate area?
• Are there complementary businesses nearby that might increase interest in your Cold Stone location? (e.g., movie theaters where people will likely be coming out hungry after spending a few hours watching a movie)
• If the location is inside of a mall, is there enough foot traffic in your desired area?
Consider Construction Plans for the Area
Planned construction can be either good or bad. For instance, construction that will improve traffic patterns is good. However, a long-term project that will detour traffic away from the area isn’t so good. If you have your heart set on a location where there will be constriction, you may want to consider waiting until everything is done, and traffic flow returns to normal. This is because you want to attract as much as attention as possible to your new Cold Stone location as soon as it’s open.
Explore Your Options with Existing Locations
Not every Cold Stone Creamery store has to be an entirely new construction or building project. It’s possible to lease a space that was previously used for another type of business. If this is the case, look at the existing set-up to determine if there are any design issues that may make it difficult to convert the space into a Cold Stone store.
Use Your Franchise Resources
Cold Stone Creamery provides franchisees with access to an assortment of useful and insight information and data. This includes some valuable resources that could make the process of determining the right location for your franchise easier. They’ll also guide you through the real estate process by:
• Reviewing traffic patterns in greater detail
• Giving you information about demographics specific to your preferred location
• Assessing ease of access and visibility
• Identifying any issues that may prevent or delay preparing the desired location
After You’ve Selected a Cold Stone Location
Once you’ve selected a possible location, contact Cold Stone Creamery and let them know of your decision. They will then evaluate the site to determine if it’s an acceptable location. If it’s authorized, then you’ll continue with the process of starting your very own Cold Stone Creamery store as a new franchise owner!
The good thing about choosing a Cold Stone franchise location and becoming a franchise owner is you won’t be alone in making decisions and getting everything set up. You’ll also get an equal abundance of training and support as you launch and run your franchise. The average gross sales for a Cold Stone Creamery franchise is just over $400,000. If you choose the right location and take full advantage of the resources the company provides, you just might see similar results. Visit the Cold Stone website to learn more franchise opportunities, or call (615) 392-1179.