Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon have announced the signing of a joint agreement to bring 10 co-branded units to five boroughs of New York City with franchisee, Fresh Dining Concepts. The agreement is intended to bring both brands to customers outside their regular, shopping mall setting.
“We’re looking to accelerate our multi-brand franchise development efforts in new and existing markets. Our insights are showing that guests want more convenience and are looking to access our brands in a variety of ways. Putting brands like Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon together makes them far more accessible than they would be individually,” said Brian Krause, chief development officer of Focus Brands.
“Partnering with an industry leader like Fresh Dining Concepts, who really understands the power and benefits of co-branding, gives us the chance to expand in priority markets like New York City.”
“In recent years, we’ve seen strong consumer demand for brands like Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon to be more accessible outside of malls, so when the opportunity presented itself to grow our portfolio with street side co-brand locations, we immediately jumped onboard,” said Luis San Miguel, president and CEO of Fresh Dining Concepts.
“Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon are iconic brands that are similar from an operations standpoint and the menus complement each other very well. There’s immense value in co-branding, not only from an operations and real estate perspective, but it’s also becoming the guest’s preference as a one-stop shop for snacking, no matter their craving.
“Focus Brands’ specialty brands are leading the way in this area and we’re excited to work together to give our guests across the five boroughs more access to Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon.”
Focus Brands has focused heavily on adding value to its brands with the use of co-branding, especially with Auntie Annes, Jamba, Carvel and Cinnabon. Among these brands there are already 150 co-brand locations in airports, malls, street-side venues, college campuses travel plazas and entertainment venues.
