Australian Franchise News – 06-07-12
As one of Sydney’s most iconic tourist destinations, Manly is the perfect location for Gelatissimo to be serving up its luscious gelato.
The Manly gelateria started life as a company owned store but was one of the first to franchise in 2006. Now, in 2012, Manly has undergone a stunning new makeover.
This highly successful gelateria is one of the few in the Gelatissimo network that is a kiosk format and a unique one at that. The Manly kiosk presented some design challenges to deal with foot traffic from two different directions on two sides of the kiosk.
To meet this challenge, Gelatissimo conceived the idea of utilising new display cabinet technology with a curved design that captures the interest of the passing traffic whilst maintaining the strict product presentation and quality standards upheld by the brand.
Since the refurbishment, customers are clearly drawn to the spectacular new look, which features one of the largest displays of gelato in Australia: 52 trays of luscious gelato on display, instead of the customary 32 displayed in traditional Gelatissimo shopfront / cafes / kiosk configurations.
According to Gelatissimo Joint CEO Marco Lopresti, presenting the extra flavour bays on both sides of the kiosk gives customers the opportunity to select from the entire range of luscious Gelatissimo Gelato; traditional flavours such as lemon, chocolate and vanilla and Aussie specials including mango, forest berry and macadamia and more, all using real fruit and natural flavours.
“We at Gelatissimo know that people taste with their eyes and this is why our display had to accurately reflect the quality and freshness of our gelato; made on the premises, fresh on a daily basis, to ensure a mouth watering product that has become the Gelatissimo trademark,” he says.
Marco and his fellow Joint Gelatissimo CEO Domenico Lopresti, couldn’t be happier with the result.
“The refurbishment has taken a lot of time, thought and money to get a look that measured up to Gelatissimo’s exacting standards and to meet the strict site specifications of Manly Wharf,” Domenico says.
In addition, the standard of finish had be of excellent quality and needed to stand the test of time, due to the length of the new lease, the requirement for protection from the elements (because of the harbourside location), the requirement to fit in with the ambience of the Wharf and the challenges of displaying Gelatissimo gelato according to its own stringent regulations.
“I am so excited about the Manly refurbishment. It is a beautiful and truly world class kiosk gelateria and rivals the great gelaterias anywhere around the world,” Domenico says.
“We know that the customers are happy with the refurbishment as we have already seen an impact on sales movement. Results since the refurbishment indicate a projected sales increase of between 15 – 30 per cent, which has exceeded our expectations”.
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