News

Baskin-Robbins plans to more than triple Australia presence

March 7, 2013

Baskin-Robbins today announced plans to more than triple the brand's presence in Australia through a master franchise joint venture with Galadari Brothers (GB).

Under the agreement, GB, the parent company of Galadari Ice Cream Co. LLC (GICC), and Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. (DBI), the parent company of Baskin-Robbins, plan to open approximately 200 additional Baskin-Robbins shops in Australia throughout the next 10 years. GICC is also a long time Baskin-Robbins licensee for the Middle East.

Under the terms of the agreement, DBI will maintain a 20-percent stake in the new venture, with GICC being primarily responsible for day-to-day operations for the brand in Australia. The finalization of the joint venture is subject to closing conditions such as regulatory approvals.

"GICC has done an outstanding job of making Baskin-Robbins one of the preeminent ice cream brands in the Middle East, and we believe they can do the same in Australia, one of our high opportunity markets," said Giorgio Minardi, president of Dunkin' Brands International. "In addition to their extensive knowledge of Baskin-Robbins and their commitment to provide even greater local management support, GICC, along with Dunkin' Brands, has agreed to accelerate the development of the Australian market, not only through the addition of franchised locations, but also by investing in corporate-owned and operated stores."

As part of the agreement, the companies will jointly contribute up to $2 million within the next three years to ramp up marketing messaging in the market.

Baskin-Robbins has had a presence in Australia since 1990 and currently has 80 locations across the country.

GICC is the world's largest franchisee for Baskin-Robbins with more than 500 stores spread across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

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