Cold Stone Creamery today announced successful results for 2009 due to key strategic partnerships and new product launches. In anticipation of a difficult economic climate, Cold Stone Creamery introduced innovative new products, established co-branding partnerships with complementary brands and leveraged its brand equity through licensing agreements to heighten brand awareness, drive traffic and ultimately drive industry-leading sales for franchise owners.
Among the initiatives for increased franchise owner profitability, Cold Stone Creamery’s co-branding partnerships with Tim Hortons and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory drove significant success in 2009.
Cold Stone Creamery and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory opened 13 co-branded locations, with an additional 50 locations planned to open in 2010, designed to leverage the complementary seasonality of each brand’s product offering. The co-branded locations exceeded sales goals for traditionally slower winter months, increasing same store sales by 14 percent.