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 UNITED STATES FRANCHISE NEWS ARCHIVE
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: : Apr 2003
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Franchisees sue GNC in New Jersey. Several store
owners and an association that represents hundreds more filed a lawsuit
in New Jersey on Wednesday against GNC Franchising Inc., claiming
the company misused an advertising fund and charged unfair fees. ....
[more]
30 Apr, 2003
Pizza Patron reaches San Antonio. Pizza Patron Inc.,
based in Garland, Texas, has signed its first out-of territory franchise
agreement in San Antonio. .... [more]
30 Apr, 2003
Jury Awards $16.5M in McDonald's Suit. A jury has awarded
a former McDonald's franchise owner $16.5 million, agreeing with her
claims that the fast-food giant defrauded her when it pressured her
to sell her outlets. .... [more]
29 Apr, 2003
Groups protest 'Toys R Us' tax break. A coalition of
New York state public employee unions and advocacy groups urged lawmakers
to shut down the so-called "Toys R Us" tax break. .... [more]
29 Apr, 2003
GNC in trouble, may go on sale. Unless dietary supplements
retailer General Nutrition Cos. can bulk up on sales, its owner may
have no choice but to shed the business. .... [more]
29 Apr, 2003
Delmar Mail Boxes Etc. decides not to be part of the UPS brand.
Richard Schaefer, owner of the Mail Boxes Etc. shipping and copying
outlet in Delmar, is one of about 300 Mail Boxes franchise owners
nationwide who are not converting to the new "The UPS Store" brand.
.... [more]
28 Apr, 2003
Can Franchising Be Taught? What do you really learn
at one of the nation's top seminars on being a franchisee? Meet a
franchisee who benefited from the course. .... [more]
28 Apr, 2003
Burger King feels bite of soft sales. Tough competition
in the fast food business amid a slow economy have shuttered three
of the city's older Burger King restaurants in the past six months.
.... [more]
28 Apr, 2003
Cold Stone Creamery expanding into Missouri. Scottsdale,
Ariz.-based Cold Stone Creamery plans to award six franchises in Missouri
in 2003 and is securing locations in the St. Louis area. .... [more]
28 Apr, 2003
McDonald's is back in the black. McDonald's has returned
to profit three months after going into the red for the first time
in its 48-year history. .... [more]
28 Apr, 2003
Spicing up the market. A successful Dayton pizza shop
owner has developed a taste for Mexican food. .... [more]
28 Apr, 2003
To Get a Job, Become a Boss. Despite 30 years in the
retail clothing industry, Tony Cocheo found his career unraveling.
So Mr. Cocheo, 58, took a different tack: he bought himself a job.
.... [more]
27 Apr, 2003
Pizza Patron Opens Office in Garland. Antonio Swad announced
today that he has opened the new corporate headquarters for Pizza
Patron. The office will support franchising, franchise support, and
company store operations. .... [more]
25 Apr, 2003
Dunkin' Donuts sees six-month sales growth. Partnerships
with such brands as Stop & Shop and the Home Depot helped spur six-month
sales growth for Dunkin' Donuts. .... [more]
24 Apr, 2003
Sit-down meals give way to days of grazing. There was
a time when Americans sat down and ate real meals three times a day.
Honest. .... [more]
24 Apr, 2003
Blockbuster Video posts increase in Q1 net income. Dallas-based
Blockbuster Inc. has reported an increase in earnings for its fiscal
year 2003 first quarter ending March 31, 2003. .... [more]
23 Apr, 2003
Rent-A-Center boosts earnings forecast. Plano-based
Rent-A-Center Inc. said first-quarter earnings will likely exceed
expectations due to higher-than-expected sales at existing stores.
.... [more]
23 Apr, 2003
Comedy club coming to Newport this fall. After more
than a year of delays and an eviction notice, Columbus based Steiner
+ Associates has snagged another franchisee to bring the Improv Comedy
Club to the Levee. .... [more]
21 Apr, 2003
Panera Bread Named Nation's Favorite Bakery and Top Fast-Casual
Restaurant. Panera Bread has received a series of top rankings
in the nation's two most comprehensive and prestigious restaurant
surveys. .... [more]
22 Apr, 2003
Happiness Is...Free Ice Cream! On Tuesday, April 29th,
Ben & Jerry's is celebrating 25 years in the ice cream business with
its 25th annual Free Cone Day. .... [more]
22 Apr, 2003
'Quick-casual' restaurants gain healthy ground. They're
a hybrid, combining the quick service of traditional fast-food outlets
and the higher-quality food of casual, sit-down restaurants - and
they're becoming key players in Birmingham's restaurant scene. ....
[more]
21 Apr, 2003
Moe's to make aggressive franchise play for D.C. area.
Atlanta-based Moe's Southwest Grille is making its way to Washington,
maybe in a big way. .... [more]
21 Apr, 2003
Franchises business option with lot of growth potential.
Franchising works. That's the consensus of people in franchising as
well as the regulators that regulate it. .... [more]
21 Apr, 2003
Conventional Wisdom. How much value do franchisees get
out of going to franchise conventions? .... [more]
21 Apr, 2003
New Cold Stone Creamery. Cold Stone plans addition of
6 new stores this year and 15 more in 2004. .... [more]
21 Apr, 2003
Wendy's will feel effects of industry slump. An ongoing
slump in the fast-food industry is taking its toll on Wendy's International
Inc. .... [more]
21 Apr, 2003
Friday's top franchisee to curb expansion after large losses.
Reeling from a substantial net loss in 2002, Main Street and Main
Inc., the largest T.G.I. Friday's franchisee, said it would scale
back on expansion this year to fine-tune current operations and ride
out the troubled economy. .... [more]
18 Apr, 2003
Liberty Sets Industry Standard. Liberty Tax Service
is posting a strong and very competitive tax season finish within
the industry. The company has prepared almost 150,000 more tax returns
year to date over last year. .... [more]
16 Apr, 2003
John Ramsay Joins Jack in the Box Inc. Jack in the
Box Inc. today announced that John Ramsay has joined the company as
division vice president of franchise sales and development. .... [more]
16 Apr, 2003
Starbucks Corp. to buy home-town rival brand, Seattle Coffee Co.
Starbucks Corp. is buying home-town rival Seattle Coffee Co. for $72
million US in cash, the companies said Wednesday. .... [more]
16 Apr, 2003
Cendant Partners with United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
George Herrera, President and Chief Executive Officer of the United
States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), today announced that
Cendant Corporation has joined the USHCC as a corporate partner. ....
[more]
15 Apr, 2003
Burger King Signals Marketing Shift. Burger King Corp.
fired the agencies that helped shape the company's advertising strategy
during its ongoing price war with chief rival McDonald's Corp., signaling
a marketing shift away from the deep discounts that have crippled
industry profits. .... [more]
15 Apr, 2003
Panera Bread announces Western U.S. stores. Panera
Bread Co. said Monday that it is opening its first bakery and cafe
businesses in the Western U.S. next month. .... [more]
15 Apr, 2003
Del Taco Wakes Up Customers With New Breakfast Campaign.
With its 59-cent Breakfast Burrito leading the charge, Del Taco this
week is launching a new campaign to increase breakfast sales. ....
[more]
15 Apr, 2003
5 Questions to Ask a Franchisor. Last week, Entrepreneur.com
gave you five questions to ask yourself before buying a franchise.
Assuming the answers to those questions don't discourage you, here
are five tough questions you should ask any franchise's corporate
management. .... [more]
14 Apr, 2003
Franchising firms hit for defrauding govt of huge taxes.
The government has been losing hundreds of millions of pesos in supposed
revenues because of the practice by franchising companies to understate
their franchise sales in order to evade payment of correct taxes,
according to an administration lawmaker. .... [more]
14 Apr, 2003
Cranberry franchisee brings Wolfgang Puck Express here.
Wolfgang Puck, that culinary one-man brand, will soon be making his
name better known in Pittsburgh. .... [more]
14 Apr, 2003
Gas price spike = driver rate hike? Despite a slight
decline in gasoline prices, the cost of filling up remains high. And
that leaves battle over whether operators should increase pizza delivery
drivers' auto usage reimbursement rates heated as ever. .... [more]
14 Apr, 2003
Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin' Donuts plan growth spurt. The
parent company of two major quick-serve restaurant concepts is calling
for significant expansion in Central Florida. .... [more]
14 Apr, 2003
MOTO finding its focus. Harry D. Loyle, a former Moto
Photo Inc. director, has taken center stage as president and chief
executive of MOTO Franchise Corp., the company that emerged from the
rubble of Moto Photo's bankruptcy last year. .... [more]
14 Apr, 2003
Maui Wowi succeeds in bringing Hawaii to the mainland.
It's Aloha Friday at Maui Wowi Fresh Hawaiian Blends in Denver, and
one can almost feel the tropical breezes. .... [more]
14 Apr, 2003
Anti-War Groups Call for Boycott of U.S. Products.
Anti-war groups around the world have called for a boycott of products
made in the United States, but the response among consumers has been
mixed. .... [more]
12 Apr, 2003
Aspiring Franchisees Need an Exit Strategy. Most franchise
investors don't think about selling when they sign on the dotted line.
But a little advance planning can prevent headaches later on. ....
[more]
11 Apr, 2003
Franchisees want cut of Fantastic Sams. FAS Co., a
consortium of regional franchise owners, is trying to purchase hair-cutting
chain Fantastic Sams from its bankrupt parent company, FS Concepts,
a subsidiary of Anaheim-based Opal Concepts. .... [more]
10 Apr, 2003
Support Networks Can Help in Tough Times. A once-struggling
travel agency is now recovering lost business due to the help of a
franchise network. Find out how assistance from others can benefit
your business. .... [more]
10 Apr, 2003
7-Eleven to Sell Its Own Beer and Wine. Thirsty consumers
who stop at 7-Eleven Inc. stores for Big Gulp cups of soft drinks
and frozen Slurpees will soon be able to guzzle beer and wines being
made especially for the store. .... [more]
10 Apr, 2003
McDonald's Corp. sale slump extends to 13th consecutive month.
McDonald's Corp. reported lower same-store sales Thursday for a 13th
consecutive month, a trend analysts expect to continue amid a protracted
slump for fast-food restaurants. .... [more]
10 Apr, 2003
Old Concepts Thrive With New Management. Just a few
years ago, Carvel Corp. and Checkers Drive-In Restaurants were nearly
bankrupt. Find out how turnaround strategies helped prevent their
assets from melting away. .... [more]
10 Apr, 2003
Black Meetings & Tourism Recognizes Marriott's Diversity.
Marriott International, Inc. has been recognized by Black Meetings
& Tourism magazine for its "growing presence of African-Americans
in upper-management positions." .... [more]
10 Apr, 2003
Franchising Attracts More Women, Minorities. Though
there are few minority franchisees, women have made greater inroads
in the business. Learn about special programs to help attract and
finance prospective minority owners. .... [more]
9 Apr, 2003
Krispy Kreme restructures board. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Inc. said it is restructuring its board of directors, adding Greensboro
native Erskine Bowles to that board and creating an executive position.
.... [more]
9 Apr, 2003
Wild Birds Unlimited Tops 300 Franchises! Wild Birds
Unlimited, the original and largest system of franchised specialty
birdfeeding stores, has just awarded its 300th franchise in North
America. .... [more]
9 Apr, 2003
McDonald's goes upmarket. Fast food giant McDonald's
says it is changing direction, after suffering the first loss in its
55-year history. .... [more]
8 Apr, 2003
Applebee's International to Sell Atlanta Restaurants to Franchisee.
Applebee's International, Inc. announced today that it has entered
into an agreement to sell eight company-owned Applebee's restaurants
in the Atlanta, Georgia market to an affiliate of Apple Restaurants,
Inc., an Applebee's franchisee. .... [more]
8 Apr, 2003
Chicken Kitchen flies to new markets. After operating
exclusively in the South Florida market for 15 years, Chicken Kitchen
is ready to not only cross the road, but regional and state boundaries
as well. .... [more]
7 Apr, 2003
The UPS Store Debuts More Than 3,000 Strong. Starting
today, more than 3,000 Mail Boxes Etc locations around the United
States will begin re-branding to The UPS Store. .... [more]
7 Apr, 2003
10 Things Every Franchise Owner Should Know. If you're
thinking of buying a franchise, you need to ask yourself these questions
before jumping in. .... [more]
7 Apr, 2003 (Part I @ Entrepreneur.com)
Shred-it turns waste paper into revenue, profit. Every
month the Birmingham franchise of Shred-it destroys piles of office
paper roughly equal in weight to 128 of the Mercedes-Benz sport utility
vehicles made in Tuscaloosa County. .... [more]
7 Apr, 2003
Sport Clips to open first of 13 planned Memphis franchises.
Georgetown, Texas-based Sport Clips, a sports-themed hair salon chain
specializing in men's and boy's haircuts, is moving into Memphis in
a big way with 13 stores planned over the next four years. .... [more]
7 Apr, 2003
McDonald's tightens its belt. Fast-food giant McDonald's
is slashing investment by two-fifths and slowing its restaurant-opening
programme, in an attempt to revitalise its business worldwide. ....
[more]
7 Apr, 2003
New partnership means Payless steers clear of claims.
If a customer damages a Payless Car Rental System Inc. vehicle, franchise
locations no longer have to deal with insurance claim hassles. ....
[more]
7 Apr, 2003
International Franchise Bureau Announces 2003 Advertising Schedule.
The International Franchise Bureau has announced its 2003 annual advertising
campaign schedule that will reach over four million individuals. ....
[more]
7 Apr, 2003
Raleigh firm eyes Triad for Krystal burger chain. Krystal,
a Southeastern fast-food chain known for its small square burgers,
has awarded Triad franchise rights to a Raleigh company under an initiative
to open up to eight stores here over the next three years. .... [more]
7 Apr, 2003
Sign maker continues European expansion. Economic and
political turmoil in some parts of the world haven't kept West Palm
Beach-based Sign-A-Rama Inc. from expanding. It's still finding places
to go and grow, and now has stores in 25 countries from Canada to
China. .... [more]
7 Apr, 2003
Yum buys Pasta Bravo restaurant concept. Louisville-based
Yum Brands Inc. has paid $5 million to acquire the Pasta Bravo restaurant
concept from Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Pasta Bravo Inc., extending
a partnership between the companies that was announced in July. ....
[more]
4 Apr, 2003
Ruidoso hotel receives franchise award. The Hawthorn
Suites Golf and Convention Resort received the 2002 Hawthorn Suite
Hotel Brand Hotel of the Year Award from its parent company, U.S.
Franchise Systems Inc. .... [more]
3 Apr, 2003
Krispy Kreme franchisees lock up third Albuquerque site.
Phoenix-based Rigel Corp. Thursday announced the inking of a deal
for another Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. location in Abuquerque. ....
[more]
3 Apr, 2003
Midas Drops Parts Distribution; Stock Up. Automotive
services company Midas Inc., which is slashing jobs as it pulls out
of unprofitable businesses, said on Thursday it was exiting parts
distribution, sending its shares up sharply. .... [more]
3 Apr, 2003
Candlewood Celebrates Success of Franchise Program.
Candlewood Hotel Co. conveyed its strategy for ongoing brand success
at the company's recent "Value Partner" conference for Candlewood
Suites and Cambridge Suites franchisees, and recognized those who
were top performers. .... [more]
2 Apr, 2003
Yum Brands names executives for multibranding. Louisville-based
Yum Brands Inc. is continuing its focus on building the company's
restaurant multibranding program, appointing two executives to help
lead the initiative. .... [more]
2 Apr, 2003
Fast-food giant McDonald's tells franchisees of recipe tinkering.
McDonald's Corp. is planning changes to its sandwiches, including
reformulating the hamburger buns and bringing back the Big Mac's original
"special sauce" recipe, according to attendees at a company convention.
.... [more]
1 Apr, 2003
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