Cinnabon Inc. opened its 1,000th bakery this week at the Vancouver Mall in Vancouver, Wash. The company's first bakery also opened in Washington State, in the Sea Tac Mall near Seattle in 1985.
In addition to growing its network of Flagship and Express bakeries to 1,000 in 2012, the Cinnabon brand has expanded its footprint to cover 48 states and 50 countries this year. In July, Cinnabon opened in Libya, making it the first U.S. brand to have a presence in that country.
Throughout the remainder of 2012 and into 2013, Cinnabon will continue to grow with 200 new domestic and international openings planned.
"This is an exciting time as we celebrate a major milestone for Cinnabon," said Kat Cole, president. "A 27-year reputation for over-the-top sensory experiences and creating oh-so-worth it indulgent moments for global bakery guests and retail consumers is possible only because of our franchisees, employees, licensees and vendor partners who continue to work tirelessly to make this brand what it is today – one of the world's greatest food brands."
Cole added that the brand's growth has been accelerated by having flexible franchise models. The Flagship model is typically featured in high-traffic venues. And the Express Micro Bakeries are available in travel and foodservice outlets such as airports and Schlotzsky's Deli outlets. There are also full street-side bakery cafés throughout the world.
"Simultaneously, with the expansion of branded products in grocery, retail and restaurant outlets, Cinnabon is approaching 50,000 global points of distribution across all channels between its franchise, consumer packaged goods and foodservice licensing divisions," Cole said.
For example, 2012 marked the brand's partnership with quick-service giant Burger King.
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