How does Marble Slab Creamery account for a 53-week year in its financial reporting?
Marble_Slab_Creamery Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
The Company operates on a 52-week calendar and its fiscal year ends on the last Sunday of the calendar year. Consistent with the industry practice, the Company measures its stores' performance based upon 7-day work weeks. Using the 52-week cycle ensures consistent weekly reporting for operations and ensures that each week has the same days, since certain days are more profitable than others. The use of this fiscal year means a 53rd week is added to the fiscal year every 5 or 6 years, as was the case in fiscal year 2023. In a 52-week year, all four quarters are comprised of 13 weeks. In a 53-week year, one extra week is added to the fourth quarter. Fiscal year 2024 was a 52-week year, fiscal year 2023 was a 53-week year, and fiscal year 2022 was a 52-week year.
Source: Item 21 — FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (FDD pages 100–101)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Marble Slab Creamery's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the company operates on a 52-week calendar, with the fiscal year ending on the last Sunday of the calendar year. To maintain consistent weekly reporting, Marble Slab Creamery measures its stores' performance based on 7-day work weeks. This ensures each week has the same days, as some days are more profitable than others.
To account for the extra days in a 53-week year, which occurs roughly every 5 or 6 years, Marble Slab Creamery adds an extra week to the fourth quarter. For example, fiscal year 2023 was a 53-week year, while fiscal years 2024 and 2022 were 52-week years.
For a prospective franchisee, this means that financial performance in a 53-week year might appear slightly higher in the fourth quarter due to the additional week of sales. It's important to consider this when comparing year-over-year financial data. The consistent weekly reporting provides a stable basis for evaluating store performance, despite the occasional 53-week year.