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Cold Stone Creamery Franchise

Ice cream, frozen yogurt & Italian sorbet

Founders, Donald and Susan Sutherland, have a passion for ice cream! They searched everywhere for ice cream that was “smooth and creamy”, rather than the traditional hard-packed or soft-serve varieties. In 1988, after coming up empty in their search, they opened the first Cold Stone Creamery® in Tempe, Arizona. Using only the finest ingredients, the Sutherlands produced the highest quality ice cream available…making it fresh each day in their store. Every ice cream creation was then made to order for each customer by blending in mix-ins on a frozen granite stone (the Cold Stone!), and served in a fresh-baked waffle cone. Word soon spread far and wide among ice cream lovers that Cold Stone Creamery’s ice cream was the best, and the revolution began! In 1995, the first franchise store opened in Tucson, Arizona, followed by the first out-of-state store in Camarillo, California.

Please Note: The operators of Cold Stone Creamery, may not have verified the accuracy of the franchise information contained within this website. For accurate up-to-date information, customers are strongly recommended to visit the official Cold Stone Creamery website.

Start-up Costs & Franchise Fees

How much does it cost to open a Cold Stone Creamery franchise?

Total Investment: $264,800-$399,600
Initial Franchise Fee: $42,000
Royalty Fee: 6%
Advertising Fee:
Term of Agreement: 10 years

How to contact Cold Stone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery News

Us Ice Cream Parlour Franchise To Expand Into Scandinavia
Cold Stone Creamery, a US based ice cream parlour, is set to expand its franchise into Scandinavia. The company, which is part of the Kahala Corp brand, has signed a franchise agreement with Cold Stone Aps to open about 40 outlets in Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden over the next five years. &... more

Cold Stone Planning 40 Locations Throughout Middle East
Cold Stone Creamery Tuesday announced it has reached an agreement with an international retail firm to open more than 40 stores in the Middle East over the next five years. Cold Stone Creamery reached the deal with Apparel Group to open those stores in the Gulf Cooperative Council, which include... more

Cold Stone Exec Leading Charge Into Asia Markets
Cold Stone Creamery executives recently began Year 2 of their foray into selling ice cream overseas with the goal of growing the brand in markets such as Mexico, Canada and South America. So far per store sales at its 12 international stores in the Pacific Rim are running at about $1 million annu... more

Six Flags And Cold Stone Creamery Announce Strategic Marketing Alliance
Cold Stone Creamery® and Six Flags (NYSE: SIX) today announced a multi-year strategic relationship under which Cold Stone Creamery will become a Six Flags Corporate Alliance Partner, Six Flags will open and operate Cold Stone Creamery locations in its branded parks, and the companies will collabora... more

Cold Stone Creamery Announces Expansion Plans For Mainland China And Taiwan
Cold Stone Creamery®, the fastest growing ice cream concept in the United States, has reached an agreement with the President Chain Store Corp. (PCSC) to open 105 stores in Mainland China and 60 stores in Taiwan over the next seven years. The company plans to open its first stores in Taipei, Taiwan ... more

View all Cold Stone Creamery Press Releases

Franchise History

When did the first Cold Stone Creamery open? 1988
When did Cold Stone Creamery start franchising? 1994

Year	U.S.A.	Canada	International	Corporate
2004	890	0	0	10
2003	423	0	0	4
2002	261	0	0	3
2001	166	0	0	2
2000	118	0	0	2

Expansion Plans

International:

Financing Options

Expense	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	No	Yes
Startup Costs	No	Yes
Equipment	No	Yes
Inventory	No	Yes
Accounts Receivable	No	Yes
Payroll	No	Yes

Training & Support

Support
Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing
Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising

Business Operations

35% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15

Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

• Ice Cream, Yogurt & Smoothies Franchise Opportunities
• Franchises $250K to $500K

Listing Tags

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