Dessert restaurant franchise Creams Cafe, is an established and expanding food retail opportunity for those wanting a different kind of offering, and has plans for significant UK and international growth. We spoke to MD Othman Shoukat, to find out more….
I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream, right? Which is why it has become a very lucrative franchise opportunity in more than 100 locations across the UK thanks to Creams Cafe.
In 2008 Creams Cafe was founded by Balal Aqil and Adam Mani, and in 2012, the firm opened its dedicated Creams Gelato Factory, followed by two more Creams Cafe units in 2013.
Between 2014 and 2018, 63 locations were launched. In 2020 Pistachio Holdings, and co-investor Salonica Maroon, acquired a majority stake in the business, to support in taking it to the next level, driving its ambitions for international and further UK expansion.
The brand now works with over 30 multi-unit franchise partners and has an estate of around 100 locations. And it is already looking at international expansion, with a master franchisee partner signed up in Egypt.
“I have now been involved with Creams for over four years,” explains managing director, Othman Shoukat. “I initially got involved with Creams as an advisor to the Board. This was to support the scale up of the brand and help realise its aspiration to become the world’s leading dessert brand franchise.
“I took over at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and my initial focus was to lead the Covid task force which consisted of managing the company’s Covid response with a focus on ensuring the viability of our store estate and supporting our franchise partners.”
Those franchise partners have three concept options available to them:
- Cafe, which allows franchise partners to operate a full-service restaurant and is aimed at groups and family outings
- Kiosk which runs like the cafes, but is around 1,000sq ft smaller in size and ideal for smaller towns
- A pop-up model, created for smaller stores in high-footfall locations such as shopping centres, offering Creams to those on the go.
For franchise partners the support package includes:
- A turnkey solution for design, build and opening your own Creams Cafe location
- Product innovation team so you set the dessert trend rather than follow it
- Order from Creams’ own gelato factory in London – we have a dedicated supply chain for all core products
- Creams Academy Training Excellence Centre – essential training for you and your team plus bespoke training for ongoing needs
- Marketing support team including seasonal promotions to drive customer purchases
- HR department to assist with recruitment and employment compliance
- Dedicated business manager.
Initial training and ongoing support includes:
- An intensive 2-week training course for franchise partners and their management teams at the Creams Academy
- A comprehensive eLearning platform for refresher training
- Launch training and support from the Creams Launch Team for your team to deliver better customer service and brand standards
- Assistance with recruiting and training new staff, marketing, product control, website development and other operational areas
- Business planning reviews from your dedicated Area Manager.
- Investment ranges from £85,000 to £250,000 depending on the site concept and the structural requirements of each location.
Creams is also working on an option to work with concession partners in other stores.
“We assess this on a case-by-case basis to ensure the brands align well with our value proposition,” says Shoukat. “We will be announcing two new partnerships in the next few weeks which we are very excited about.”
Having thrived through the pandemic, when it stayed open and strengthened partnerships with companies such as Deliveroo, UberEats and Just Eat to improve its delivery business, like many UK businesses, Creams now feels it has future-proofed itself for further economic challenges. Shoukat is confident that the company is well placed to ride out the storm.
“Yes, of course, we will need to do things we ideally wouldn’t want to be doing, such as increasing prices, but this is inevitable given all our costs are increasing. But more fundamentally, Creams provides a respite to young people and families from the hardships of day-to-day life. We offer great value for money and that’s why our customers keep coming back to us for affordable treats.
“Even in difficult economic times, people still need to treat themselves occasionally and we think we strike the right balance between being a crowd pleaser for the entire family whilst also offering excellent value for money.”
Ronnie Dungan
