Ice cream franchise Ben & Jerry’s has signed a 3-site deal, taking the brand into Far North Queensland.
The three sites are planned for Cairns, Palm Cove, and Port Douglas with the Cairns site scheduled to open in September 2021 – dependent on lockdowns.
The Palm Cove site has a Q1 2022 date pencilled in, with Ben & Jerry’s Port Douglas likely to open in Q3 2022.
Signing up to the three-site deal is franchisee Nick Lorentzen who is semi-retired after a varied career, including senior executive and consulting experience in education.
“I’m excited about flying the Ben & Jerry’s flag in Far North Queensland. The response I’ve received when people learn we have a store opening shortly has been hugely enthusiastic,” he said.
Bruce Lambert, business development manager (ANZ), Ben & Jerry’s, said “Nick was an easy appointment for us; he fully aligns to the social mission of Ben & Jerry’s and has a fantastic commercial acumen from his other business interests.”
In addition to the three Far North Queensland locations, the sunshine state remains a key target for growth for the popular scoop shops.
“Cairns will be our 16th scoop store in Australia, but we also have a further 17 joint venture sites in the country with selected long term partners,” saidLambert .
“We have some key targets of Brisbane and South East Queensland. Our strategy isn’t to have a store on every corner, but instead it is to have up to 50 carefully selected locations across ANZ to ensure our franchisees are successful and can have a positive impact in their communities.”
The 50-store goal is within reach by 2024; the network has 42 stores right now, and in addition to Brisbane there are opportunities in Adelaide, Tasmania, and selected Sydney suburbs.
Known for incorporating its commitment to social justice into marketing campaigns and activism, last month the global treat brand, owned by Unilever, was in the spotlight internationally when it decided to stop selling ice cream in Israeli-occupied territories.
In 2019 Ben & Jerry’s teamed up with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition to encourage students to check they were enrolled to vote as part of its mission to tackle climate change through political action.
