Business Opportunities Weblog

July 3, 2005 by Dane Carlson | 0 Comments

→ candybouquet.com

From it’s small beginnings in the garage of Margaret McEntire, to one of the fastest growing franchise opportunities of today, Candy Bouquet International, Inc. currently has over 700 stores in all 50 states and 31 countries. All of this in just 10 years, and according to their Dun & Bradstreet Rating, their growth pattern appears to be strong and steady.

The foundation for this successful operation was laid back in 1989. Margaret McEntire and a partner opened the first Candy Bouquet store in Houston, Texas. However, after just one year they were forced to close the store due to unforeseen circumstances and Margaret was faced with quitting or starting over.

With her life savings on the line and determined to succeed, she opened a tiny, 90 square-foot shop in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her family helped to make the arrangements and in keeping with the McEntire philosophy, Margaret started giving away bouquets in high traffic places like banks and popular restaurants. This marketing strategy worked and soon people started calling, some placing orders and others wanting to learn the secrets on how to make these unique bouquets. Candy Bouquet as a franchise was on its way.

Today, the typical Candy Bouquet store is a full-scale chocolate and candy retail operation, although some operate successfully as home-based businesses. Some franchisees operate exclusively as Candy Bouquet; others run this franchise in conjunction with a floral shop or other retail outlet.

In Biz Ops | 0 Comments