East Lansing, Mich. — BIGGBY® COFFEE, a high-energy coffee concept with more than 360 units, has signed 43 new franchise agreements so far this year and is on track to reach the 500-unit mark by the end of 2024. In 2023, 31 new stores have opened so far.
“Currently, we have 361 stores open and around another 140 in development for a total of close to 500,” says Tony DiPietro, vice president of emerging market development. “That 500 is a big deal because we have a goal to have 500 stores open by the end of 2024, and we still have a full 18 months to get those 140 that are in development through the pipeline.”
Twelve of the 43 franchise agreements signed are for developments in emerging markets, including Illinois, Idaho, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. One of the 27 new store openings was in Memphis, marking the brand’s entry to Tennessee, and it is already working on a second Tennessee location in Nashville.
“A competitive advantage of ours is offering an array of different store models,” says DiPietro. “We can go traditional — we can build an end cap location with a drive-thru, we’ll build a modular drive-thru-only shop and we can even do kiosks. We can get very creative with our prototypes, and that helps our owners cater their build-out to each unique community.”
The BCubed concept has been a driver of the brand’s flexibility and has seen remarkable success since its 2018 launch. Earlier this year, BIGGBY® COFFEE opened its 50th modular drive-thru location. BCubed concepts are prefabricated and delivered to their designated locations to be assembled. Manufacturing takes around 4 weeks, and installation can take as little as 6 hours. With the model, franchise owners have infinite opportunities in terms of development options and are able to both shorten their development timeline and reduce costs.
With the help of the BCubed model, additional flexibility for franchise owners and an ever-growing demand for BIGGBY® COFFEE, DiPietro says the system is also on track to reach 1,000 stores opened by the end of 2028.
“Historically, we double in size every 4 to 5 years,” says DiPietro. “We’re looking to grow in every state that we’re currently in, and we use an area representative program to help us sell in certain states, as well as the support of our home office team to fill in where we don’t have area representatives.”
BIGGBY® COFFEE aims to sign a total of 100 franchise agreements this year as it continues to fill the pipeline, but development numbers are just one of many indicators the brand uses to evaluate its success. For more information, visit https://www.biggbyfranchising.com/.
SOURCE: BIGGBY® COFFEE