When did the Parent company first offer Ben Jerrys franchises for sale?
Ben_Jerrys Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Franchises for Ben & Jerry's Shops were first offered for sale by our Parent, starting in August 1981. As described below, the Parent developed different formats of Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops, which it offered as franchises. These included Scoop Shops and Satellite Shops, which are more fully described in this Item under the heading "The Franchises Offered." "Featuring Shops" and "Scoop Stations" are no longer offered, and none of these Shops remain within the Ben & Jerry's System.
We first began operating company-owned Ben & Jerry's Shops in February 1999, but we did not act as the franchisor of the System or hold any franchise agreements until December 29, 2000 (the "Acquisition Date"). On the Acquisition Date, we and Homemade completed a corporate restructuring, through which we became the franchisor and operator of Ben & Jerry's Shops and we acquired all of the assets related to Homemade's company-owned Ben & Jerry's Shops, as well as the assets that Homemade used to manage and operate the System's franchising
Source: Item 1 — THE FRANCHISOR AND ANY PARENTS, PREDECESSORS, AND AFFILIATES (FDD pages 9–16)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Ben Jerrys's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchises for Ben & Jerry's Shops were first offered for sale by the Parent company, starting in August 1981. The Parent company, Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc., initially developed different formats of Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops, which it offered as franchises. These included Scoop Shops and Satellite Shops. However, Featuring Shops and Scoop Stations are no longer offered within the Ben & Jerry's system.
Ben & Jerry's Franchising, Inc. first began operating company-owned Ben & Jerry's Shops in February 1999, but did not act as the franchisor until December 29, 2000. On this date, Ben & Jerry's Franchising, Inc. acquired all assets related to Homemade's company-owned Ben & Jerry's Shops and the assets used to manage the franchising system. They also acquired all Ben & Jerry's franchise agreements in effect as of the Acquisition Date, as well as the right to use and license the Proprietary Marks and the System.
As of the Acquisition Date, Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. ceased to operate and franchise Ben & Jerry's Shops and does not offer franchises in any other line of business. Ben & Jerry's Franchising, Inc. began offering franchises for Scoop Shops and Satellite Shops and, in April 2002, started offering franchises for Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops to be operated by individuals and businesses that operate as contract feeders and providers of food and other managed services to Institutional Facilities, known as Special Venue Scoop Shops.