Brand Spotlight | Rita’s Italian Ice
Named a “Top 25 Franchise High Performer” by The Wall Street Journal, Rita’s Italian Ice is the world’s largest Italian ice franchise. Founded in 1984 as a single store in Philadelphia, PA, over the past 30+ years Rita’s Italian Ice has aggressively expanded into core markets across the United States and internationally.
Beyond being a quality brand with a results-driven platform, Rita’s dynamic expansion success was also facilitated by the strong sales team and leadership at Rita’s Franchise Company.
Overseeing a particularly monumental expansion period was Scott Schubiger, former SVP for Worldwide Development at Rita’s Franchise Company now serving as ZGrowth President. Under Scott’s leadership, his team produced a 10x increase in franchise sales revenue and executed over 400 franchise agreements throughout the U.S., Canada and several other countries.
KEY WEST COAST EXPANSION MILESTONES
Another key player in Rita’s expansion is Al Mendoza, former Franchise Consultant for Rita’s Franchise Company now serving as ZGrowth Executive Vice President, who led explosive franchise sales growth in a region with almost zero brand presence. In less than 24 months Al sold 205 franchise agreements, quite an entrance to the West Coast.
May 2012 | Orange County, California
- Area development agreement awarded for 40 Rita’s Italian Ice stores in Orange County, California.
- Rita’s Franchise Company opens a West coast office to support its franchise growth in California.
October 2012 | Utah
- Area development agreement awarded for Rita’s Italian Ice stores in Utah
January 2013 | San Diego County, California
- Area development agreement awarded for Rita’s Italian Ice stores in San Diego County, California
July 2013 | Riverside, San Bernardino Counties, California
- Franchise development agreement awarded for 70 Rita’s Italian Ice stores in San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
- At the time this was the largest deal ever made with a single franchise in the company’s 30-year history, only to be surpassed 3 months later.
December 2013 | San Diego County, California
- Area development agreement awarded for Rita’s Italian Ice stores in West Los Angeles and South Bay, California
April 2014 | South Orange County, California
- Franchise development agreement awarded for 20 Rita’s Italian Ice stores in South Orange County.
July 2014 | Alameda, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties
- Area development agreement awarded for 75 Rita’s Italian Ice stores in throughout Northern California.
- Marks the largest franchise area development agreement in company history to date.
OTHER KEY U.S. EXPANSION MILESTONES
Tennessee, area development agreement awarded for Rita’s Italian Ice stores for Nashville, Tennessee.
Minnesota, area development agreement awarded for Rita’s Italian Ice stores for the Twin Cities, Minnesota.
Alabama, area development agreement awarded for Rita’s Italian Ice stores for State
Des Moines, IA, area development agreement awarded for Rita’s Italian Ice stores for Des Moines, IA.
Kansas, area development agreement awarded for Rita’s Italian Ice stores for State.
LOOKING TO EXPAND YOUR BRAND?
Brand expansion starts with the right team. The experts at ZGrowth are seasoned, knowledgeable and won’t stop until they generate value for their clients. The dedicated team provides complete end-to-end support from lead generation to closing the sale of a franchise. For more information on ZGrowth Partners and how they can help your brand expand into new burgeoning markets, contact a team member today.