Australian Franchise News – 14-03-12
Due to unprecedented local and international interest in Gelatissimo, Australia’s preeminent gelato franchise, the company has today announced it has appointed not one, but three franchise recruitment firms.
Gelatissimo’s Joint CEO, Domenico Lopresti, says Gelatissimo is currently the hottest brand in franchising and it is no longer practical for the company to manage the steady stream of unsolicited enquiries from potential franchisees internally.
Global Franchise Partners will handle international franchise opportunities, Business Connect International (BCI) will be responsible for NSW and Finn Franchise Brokers will service the Western Australian, Queensland and Victorian markets.
Steve Finn, director of Finn Franchise Brokers says the company is thrilled to be working with Gelatissimo because the franchise is a premium offering, with first class presentation and branding, a passionate head office support team, and the top stores deliver exceptional profits to their franchisee owners.
“People are looking for a simple business, with a strong profit offering – this is it,” says Steve. “It’s also a business that you are proud to own. It’s a place customers just love, and the existing franchisees are extremely positive about owning a Gelatissimo.
Tony Arena, Managing Director of BCI says BCI and Gelatissimo have come together at an important time.
“Many people purchase a small business as a way to build wealth. Unfortunately in the case of Australian franchises, this doesn’t always happen. It may be due to poor store location, weak recruitment or just plain, bad luck,” says Tony.
“Gelatissimo philosophy of seeking the right locations and the right people should not only reduce the chance of business failure but greatly enhance the prospect of business success.
“I have seen enough of the Gelatissimo franchise to say that people can make real money by investing in this business. It’s an exciting time, it reminds me of Subway, Oporto and even McDonald’s in the early days where people who invested early reaped enormous rewards down the track.”
BCI is a business broking company started by Tony and his father, Norman, in 1987. Tony feels a great affinity with the Gelatissimo brand as both the Arena and Lopresti families started small businesses and grew them to be market leaders, based on a foundation of hard work and great self belief.
“Gelatissimo’s success has been built on the quality of our franchisee network, and as we ramp up our recruitment, we are aware we must maintain our high standards.” says Domenico. “We have chosen our three new franchise recruitment companies because they understand our commitment to finding the right franchisees and have the resources to find the ideal candidates.”
“We now have more than 500 people contact us each month looking to find the right franchise business for themselves. We can see Gelatissimo fits with the criteria a lot of potential franchise owners are searching for.”
Finn Franchise Brokers is the number one seller of franchises in Australia and the only network of licensed franchise brokers in Australia. It has nine offices across Australia, and each office is owned and operated by a franchisee.
The company commenced business in 2004, and currently has more than $110m of franchises for sale. It has a success rate of more than 98 per cent of applicants put forward being approved by its clients.
“This is a truly exciting time for Gelatissimo,” says Domenico. “We have never had such intense and widespread interest in our franchise opportunity, but we understand it’s imperative our selection criteria remain as stringent as ever. We believe that the three companies we have appointed will ensure that every new franchisee will be a perfect fit with our vibrant, growing operation.”
Gidon Rosing, Head of Global Business Development at GFP says he is excited to be working with Gelatissimo and believes the company is poised for huge international growth.
“We believe there are four reasons Gelatissimo will succeed internationally; the fresh products make it attractive to all areas in our region; the quality of the product is superior; Gelatissimo margins are high, and this is essential in the current global economy as people are looking for excellent investments and Gelatissimo has these margins. And finally, the owners and management are so passionate about the product and brand that they do not cut corners and are totally committed to supporting the expansion,” says Gidon.
“The Gelatissimo model translates well. GFP has strong connections in the regions we are targeting on behalf of Gelatissimo and I am confident that we can find excellent candidates, especially as all areas selected have a strong affinity to western brands, he adds.”
GFP was formed three years, with the principal partners and owners having over thirty years’ experience in international business. GFP has a network of partners on the ground in various countries and also has a broker network in countries worldwide. It is a global leader in the facilitation of master franchise and area developer deals, matchmaking, M & A opportunities and delivering services to the franchising industry.
“Our philosophy has always been that Gelatissimo franchises are granted not sold, and although we are going through an exciting growth period, we remain committed to finding exactly the right people to operate each gelateria. I am confident that our three new franchise recruitment companies will remain true to this philosophy,” says Domenico.
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