Yahoo! Finance:
Edible Arrangements, the pioneer and leader in hand-sculpted, fresh fruit arrangements, announced today the signing of a Master Franchisee agreement with Kemal and Emre Aydin. The brothers plan to develop 15 locations throughout Turkey.
The first location is slated to open in Istanbul in 2010 and the remaining locations will open over the next five years. With this agreement, Edible Arrangements is now available to consumers in nine countries outside of the United States and Puerto Rico.
Emre currently owns one of the largest online florist businesses in Turkey and Kemal has a strong background in information technology. Kemal moved to the Unites States in 1995 and five years later started his own consulting company, Satreno that has locations in the United States, South Africa, Ireland and Turkey. The brothers are now focusing their business attentions on developing Edible Arrangements franchisees in Turkey.
“We are excited to introduce Edible Arrangements to consumers in Turkey and welcome Kemal and Emre into our system,†said Tariq Farid, CEO and Founder, Edible Arrangements, Inc. “We see great promise in these cities and know our new master franchisees will be great ambassadors for the brand.â€
Currently, Edible Arrangements has 900 locations with the goal to reach 1,000 units by 2010. These recent signings are part of an aggressive growth strategy that includes expanding in existing markets and countries while continuing Edible Arrangements domestic growth in California, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Philadelphia and New York. In addition to finding qualified new franchisees, the company’s growth strategy includes continuing to grow its existing franchise base into enterprise multi-unit operators. Read more.