Nearly three months after a metre-and-a-half of water swept through its doors, Rosalie Cold Rock Ice Creamery is rising from Brisbane’s devastating floods. The store in the city’s inner-west will reopen this Saturday in time for Rosalie Rising – a community street party to celebrate the recovery of businesses within the Rosalie Village precinct. January’s devastating floods destroyed everything within the Nash Street ice creamery, forcing owners Donna and John Weatherhead to start their 13-year-old... ...Read more »

Food franchises must evolve to remain competitive as consumers gravitate to products that can be customised to their individual tastes, an industry veteran says. Stan Gordon, executive chairman of Melbourne-based Franchised Food Company (FFCo), which owns Cold Rock Ice Creamery, said consumers were drawn to products which allowed them to express their individuality in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace. “Consumers are looking to be masters of their own ‘Youniverse’... ...Read more »

Those well known pink and white Mr Whippy ice-cream vans will soon be touring Australian neighbourhoods with their delicious ice-creams and range of beverages. Mr Whippy, now owned by Franchised Food Company (FFCo), is looking for a suitable partner to operate the vans under licence and capitalise on their brand recognition and appeal. Howard Bellin, franchising specialist and consultant to FFCo, said that this decision was a terrific opportunity for someone to obtain the licence from FFCo for their... ...Read more »

Franchisor FFCo (Franchised Food Company) has acquired Nutshack, comprising 28 outlets in Victoria and Queensland. The acquisition brings FFCo’s stable to four, alongside Mr Whippy, Pretzel World and Cold Rock, with a total of 135 outlets. FFCo’s CEO, Stan Gordon, said the company planned to open Nutshack stores across Australia. ““We always said we were on the lookout for more opportunities in our sector and here it is. Nutshack is another exciting and unique brand which we believe... ...Read more »

Companies planning to launch American food brands into the unique Australian market could be doomed to failure, a franchising expert has warned. Stan Gordon, Managing Director of Melbourne-based Franchised Food Company, which holds the interests and rights of Mr Whippy, Pretzel World and Cold Rock Ice Creamery, said multinational retailers wanting to roll out concepts that worked in the US or Europe could find the same format is not always successful in Australia. His warning follows reports giant... ...Read more »

A former business manager at Australia’s second largest bakery chain has been appointed to a similar role at the Franchised Food Company (FFCo). Michelle Sprenger will manage two of the burgeoning food company’s brands, Cold Rock and Mr Whippy within Queensland and the Northern Territory from FFCo’s Brisbane office. The 46-year-old was previously Brumby’s Queensland business manager for eight years and the business manager for Ella Bache beauty salons in Queensland and the... ...Read more »