Kilwin's Chocolates vs River Street Sweets Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Kilwin's Chocolates vs River Street Sweets including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Kilwin's Chocolates Franchise
River Street Sweets Franchise
Investment $177,534 - $937,415$419,550 - $844,000
Franchise Fee $20,000 - $40,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 5%5%
Advertising Fee 1%2%
Year Founded 19471973
Year Franchised 19822015
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Kilwin's Chocolates Franchise
River Street Sweets Franchise
Experience -Prospective franchisees must have solid store managerial experience and excellent supervisory, sales and guest relations skills. Previous experience in customer service and/or marketing is a plus! Our fun and friendly franchise concept appeals to a wide array of potential guests. With that being said, the franchise owner will be able to provide an interactive candy experience for happy guests from all walks of life.

Financing Options

 
Kilwin's Chocolates Franchise
River Street Sweets Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-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

 
Kilwin's Chocolates Franchise
River Street Sweets Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 173 hours Classroom Training: 43 hours Additional Training: Online training; store visits Initial training includes extensive training about the brand's proven systems, policies and procedures at our corporate office in Savannah, Georgia. Franchisees are provided with instructors, facilities, and materials for the initial training program. On-The-Job Training: 183 hours Classroom Training: 18 hours
Support Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet PlatformNewsletter Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Site Selection
Marketing Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Email marketingAd Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Loyalty program/app
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

 
Kilwin's Chocolates Franchise
River Street Sweets Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
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
"Entrepreneur
#105 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
#121 in Franchise 500 for 2021.






About River Street Sweets

River Street Sweets, - Savannah's Candy Kitchen is an old-fashioned candy store that is family-owned and delivers handmade southern sweets to its guests. It offers a variety of delicious handmade candies such as its World Famous Pralines, Chocolate Loggerheads, old-fashioned caramel apples, homemade ice cream and a huge assortment of nostalgic hard candy right in front of guests. The River Street Sweets - Savannah's Candy Kitchen concept enriches the lives of its guests by providing fresh handmade southern candies served in a clean and fun environment. This franchise program is a partnership of two longstanding candy shops with roots in Savannah Georgia, River Street Sweets and Savannah's Candy Kitchen. Both are owned and operated by members of the Strickland family. The shops have more than a dozen locations across Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee and an extremely strong mail and web ordering presence. River Street Sweets - Savannah's Candy Kitchen is now extending franchise opportunities throughout the South and in other select U.S. markets to qualified candidates. River Street Sweets - Savannah's Candy Kitchen will show you how to make our gourmet Southern candies by hand in your own special, old-fashioned candy and ice cream store environment, which is designed to work in a wide range of settings and location types. Franchise owners have the option to choose what size and setting he/she would like to operate in. Its largest models require 2,000-3,000 sq. ft. and are located primarily in high traffic tourist locations. OR, they can choose one of their smaller locations that are an estimated 750-1,000 sq. ft. Franchisees will also have the opportunity to share in a portion of revenues obtained through our mail and online ordering and gift items. This enables franchisees to build a sweet business through these multiple product lines and revenue streams. 
 $5,000 discount on Franchise fee to veterans.
 Owners converting into a River Street Sweets - Savannah's Candy Kitchen receive an $11,000 discount.