Description of system

The Marble Slab Creamery boasts "the freshest ice cream on earth". They attract their loyal following of ice cream enthusiasts with extremely fresh, home-made ice cream made to order before the customer's eyes with any ingredients of his/her choice.

History
Marble Slab Creamery began its story in Houston, Texas in 1983. They started with an unusually high set of standards and a goal to bring the exquisite taste of fresh-made gourmet ice cream to fellow aficionados. This dedication led to Marble Slab Creamery's development of the now famous "frozen slab" technique for ice cream preparation. Today they have stores in 35 states, along with locations in Canada, Puerto Rico, and The United Arab Emirates.

Market
No matter where customers live, they love the products and the Marble Slab Creamery experience. Marble Slab Creamery is experiencing incredible international expansion.

Start-up concept

Through the head company NexCen, the all of their franchisees recieve top-notch assistance and support in starting their own franchise. NexCen is company that knows how to make franchises sucessful and they have an impressive track record to prove it. If you open a franchise with them, you can be sure that you are in some of the best hands in franchising.

Training and Support
Because Marble Slab Creamery is apart of the NexCen Franchising Company, all of their franchisees have the great benefit of going to their own franchising university. NexCen University, also known as NexCen U, is a state-of-the-art franchise training facility located at their global headquarters in Norcross, Georgia. Training at this facility includes courses taught by subject experts from their best-in-class management team, workshops and seminar presentations.

NexCen U also offers a variety of programs and services specifically designed to cater to their franchise's expanding domestic and international presence. These "distance learning" systems utilize highly interactive and advanced instructional techniques including video and online demonstrations.

In addition to in depth study at their university, Franchise training and support also includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Marketing / Public Relations - Support with building brand awareness, driving traffic to the store, creating brand loyalty and increasing frequency of visit.
• Design & Construction - Turnkey store design and support through build-out.
• Real Estate - Assistance with site selection within the United States.
• Operations - Periodic visits from field representatives to consult on operations and marketing to help increase profitable revenues; consultation on store operations, key business metrics and P&L management.
• Crew Training - Ongoing tips for crew training to ensure customer satisfaction and long term customer loyalty (including suggestive selling techniques for new products).
• Networking - Opportunities to network with experienced peers who enjoy sharing knowledge to benefit fellow owners.

Partner profile

To ensure that their franchisees will be able to qualify with both lenders and landlords, NexCen requires potential franchisees within the United States to have at least $75,000 in liquid capital and a $225,000 net worth. In addition, food service and/or retail experience is desired, although not mandatory.

Marble Slab Creamery Franchises is a fun and lucrative franchise opportunity. In a market where consumers' ice cream preferences are developing finer tastes, there is a growing need for such speciality ice cream franchises.

Facts

Standard information

Country of origin	USA
Company foundation (nat / worldwide)	1983 / 1983
First franchising (nat / worldwide)	1985 / 1985
Country of data	USA
Total investment (nat)	600.000 USD
Personal capital	75.000 USD
Initial entry fee	25.000 USD
Royalty	6,00 % of net sales
Advertising fee	2,00 % of net sales
Type of contract	Franchise-System Licence Cooperatives Others
Renewal fee
Space needs	55 - 140 m2
Master licenses available

Priority development	• United Kingdom

Minimum turnover
Pilot unit in the country of data
Internal purchase
Mark-up of goods

Financial support

Training activities

Training content

Management support

Ideal franchisee profile