Dippin’ Dots' Growth Makes A Top Franchise Opportunity

Dippin’ Dots, LLC, the beaded frozen treat and flash-frozen ice cream maker, enjoyed double-digit growth over 2016, with total sales of the core ice cream products privately held by the company going up 13 percent. The first quarter of 2017 is also seeing an increase, and the sales of core ice cream products have increased substantially each year since late 2012.

One of the factors driving the beaded ice cream brand's growth is its corporate partnerships. In 2016, for example, the company expanded its existing partnership with family food and entertainment destination Chuck E. Cheese, and its products are now offered at more than 500 Chuck E. Cheese locations across the country. Dippin' Dots also has an outstanding client retention rate of over 98 percent, with Premier Parks recently renewing its contract with the ice cream brand for another three years for its water and theme parks. The beaded treat maker has become a familiar sight in theme parks nationwide, with sales in these types of parks seeing a 48 percent hike over the last five years.

On top of client retention, this franchise has also added more than 3,000 presence points over the last two years, which has helped boost non-franchise sales by over 32 percent in the same period. One such point is in the Philadelphia Zoo, which signed a three-year agreement with the brand in 2016. Its beaded treats are now available at over 80 zoos nationwide, and sales in zoos increased by 20 percent from 2015 to 2016.

Co-branded stores from this ice cream franchise business is another force driving growth, with Dippin' Dots and fresh-popped popcorn franchise Doc Popcorn operating 17 co-branded stores in the US. Due to the success of these locations, the two brands are planning to double the number of locations and open 10 to 15 new co-branded stores in 2017. Another area in which the ice cream brand has seen a sales boost is the nontraditional location segment. Over the last two years, this ice cream company has had a 30 percent growth in convenience store customers, with annual revenues in this segment seeing double-digit increases over each of the past five years.

Of course, the brand's franchise business segment remains a powerful vehicle, with 14 new locations opening over the past three years and franchise revenue increasing by 14.75 percent in 2016. Product innovation, which continues to be a strong suit of this ice cream brand, also continued with the development of a new hit summer flavor, Brownie Batter.

For a top franchise opportunity with a rapidly growing business, Dippin' Dots is certainly a brand to consider. The initial franchise fee is $15,000, with the initial investment ranging from $112,204 to $376,950. Qualified applicants with have a net worth of at least $250,000, with $80,000 or more liquid.