Edible Arrangements®: A Fruitful Business Signs Its 500th Store

Unprecedented Growth for Fruit Bouquet Franchise Fastest Growing Franchise Concept

(Tuesday, June 20, 2006) - Tariq Farid , CEO, and his brother, Kamran Farid, COO, co-founders of family-owned Edible Arrangements International today announced that they have hit the 500th mark on the number of franchises in the United States , Canada , Puerto Rico and the U.K. When they launched their fruit franchise business six years ago in East Haven , Conn. , their dream was simple: to build a dynamic growth franchise system that would satisfy a strong consumer need and stand out from the rest. And it does.

Edible Arrangements began in 1999 with a single store in East Haven , Conn. , followed by the opening of the first franchise store in 2001. Edible Arrangements has since defied the traditional, cellophane covered fruit basket. The entrepreneurial company has made the fruit basket an art form of exquisite, hand-sculpted fresh fruit bouquets that resemble floral bouquets and are perfect for any occasion. The fruit bouquets are edible fruit masterpieces overflowing with specially cut and uncut fresh fruit as well as chocolate creations. The company has patents pending on three types of equipment used to cut the fruit into unique and exciting shapes.

"We are delighted to make this announcement marking our 500th signed franchise store in only five short years," says Tariq Farid . "We have a passion for this wonderful business and it is clear our franchise owners share that vision. We look forward to announcing our 1000th store in the near future."

In addition, a multi-million dollar national advertising campaign to support Edible Arrangements will break in national consumer magazines in August. . The Farid brothers' fruitful vision and business acumen has since catapulted Edible Arrangements into one of the nation's fastest-growing franchise systems consisting of now 500 Edible Arrangements signed franchise stores across the U.S. and Canada, and in Puerto Rico and England. Stores are opening at the rate of eight stores a week with projections of reaching the 1000 store mark by early 2007. The reason for the quick growth is in the success of an average store. The company's operations yield average sale and profit margins that are substantially greater than typical franchise and are less labor-intensive.

In 2005, stores in business for 12 months had an average of $453,825 in sales. Edible Arrangements companywide sales for 2005 were $25.8 million. 2006 year to date companywide sales are $37.9 million, up from $15 million for the same period in 2005, an increase of over 150%

"Our growth plan has accelerated significantly from our initial goal in 1999 which was to open 35 stores over five years," said Tariq Farid , CEO. "The concept grew faster than expected, causing us to surpass that number and revise our plan to target 1,000 stores in 6 years with the launch of franchises across the U.S. and internationally."

About Edible Arrangements
Edible Arrangements International has 500 franchise stores across the U.S. and Canada , with 273 franchise stores signed and 227 new stores opening soon. A U.K. store just opened in January 2006. Bouquets from Edible Arrangements can be ordered by telephone, on the company's Website or at one of its stores. Basic arrangements come in several sizes and range in price from $32 to $200. For more information, please visit www.ediblearrangements.com .

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