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Updated RecentlyKilwin's Chocolates vs Emerald City Smoothie Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Kilwin's Chocolates vs Emerald City Smoothie including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $177,534 - $937,415 | $75,250 - $286,900 |
| Franchise Fee | $20,000 - $40,000 | $15,000 - $25,000 |
| Royalty Fee | 5% | 6% |
| Advertising Fee | 1% | 2% |
| Year Founded | 1947 | 2005 |
| Year Franchised | 1982 | 2005 |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
| Renewal Fee | - | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | - | - |
Financing Options |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/Yes | -/- |
| Start-up Costs | No/Yes | -/- |
| Equipment | No/Yes | -/- |
| Inventory | No/Yes | -/- |
| Receivables | No/No | -/- |
| Payroll | No/No | -/- |
Training & Support |
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| Training | On-The-Job Training: 173 hours Classroom Training: 43 hours Additional Training: Online training; store visits | - |
| Support | Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform | * Use of the Emerald City Smoothie brand and all existing and new marketing materials * Assistance with real estate brokers, site selection, lease negotiation and construction based on best practices learned from over 30 store openings * A turn-key system that includes all architectural design, equipment, shelving, graphics, and signage at a reasonable cost * Extensive ECS Experience training for you and one staff member on drink making, developing a customer community, business management and marketing * Grand opening planning and support * "It's my store" customer involvement program * Peer-to-peer problem and solution sharing with other franchise owners * New drink introductions based on successful pilot programs at other franchises * Web presence for easy store location and product and service pre-selection * Periodic, high-return marketing strategies for pilot testing and implementation * Greater buying power for smoothie and health products as a member of our buying cooperative * Periodic visits to assist with general operations, employee training and to help you fine-tune the ECS experience * Analysis of store sales and performance versus system- wide benchmarks |
| Marketing | Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Email marketing | - |
| Operations | 10% of all franchisees own more than one unit. Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 6 - 10 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | - |
Expansion Plans |
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| US Expansion | Yes | - |
| Canada Expansion | No | - |
| International Expansion | No | - |
Company Overviews
About Kilwin's Chocolates
Since 1947 Kilwins has been a celebrated part of Americana having earned a reputation for providing high quality products and excellent service. Our heritage was built on the simple premise of creating our products from the finest ingredients and providing customers with great service. Today we continue the tradition by uniquely combining high quality products with a warm friendly customer experience that is supported through a successful community of caring owner operators. We continue to offer the finest quality traditional down-home confections and ice cream that are kitchen made fresh from premium ingredients and original recipes.
Seeking new franchise units in the following regions/states:
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska,
North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia,
Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia
Veteran Incentives $10,000 off franchise fee
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About Emerald City Smoothie
If you are looking for a significant franchise opportunity with a low cost of entry and a high upside potential, you may be a great candidate to be an Emerald City Smoothie franchise owner. We've also built our uniqueness beyond the product. We build customer loyalty everyday through: * A personal service philosophy that turns our employees into part of our customer's fitness-support team, which keeps customers coming back, according to the Parker LePla Emerald City Smoothie Customer Study * Supplements for any health goal from weight loss to bulking up * Smoothie recipes that won the "best of" smoothie category in a Seattle poll, featuring a unique blending process that creates a smooth, refreshing, but never-watery, taste * Branding and design that helps draw customers into your stores and makes selection of high-margin add-on products easy. Click here for a virtual tour of one of our world-class locations. * Marketing, training, site selection, and quality control services. Emerald City Smoothie also features all the benefits of franchising including our formula for operating to help avoid many mistakes commonly made by new business owners. Today, one out of every seven dollars spent by Americans for retail goods and services is spent in a franchised or independent product distribution business (source: IFA Franchise Opportunity Guide, p. 31, Fall/Winter 2004). Franchising generates an estimated $1.5 trillion in the U.S. economy annually (source: www.franchise.org/opportunities). The combination of the franchisor's expertise and your hard work create the potential for a strong business. With a franchise, you are in business for yourself, not by yourself!