Franchise Spotlight: Confectionary
Brits certainly have a sweet tooth - so here's our handy guide on why you should invest in the confectionary sector!
Entrepreneurs who are keen to
About the industry
The
The largest and fastest-growing sector within the
Confectionary is a good fit for franchising as it is a fast-moving, consumer goods business benefitting from a strong brand image as well as being very easy to run.
Confectionary franchises suit owners who have a passion for running a retail business and an eye for new emerging products.
The
With customers now moving towards increased snacking and away from three rigid meals a day, confectionery works by supplementing busier working and social lives.
Pick-n-mix of opportunities
There are a few choices you should make before choosing a confectionary franchise opportunity, do you want to be operating as a wholesaler who imports and ships out products? Or would you prefer to be a retailer selling to local customers?
The greatest value of confectionary franchising is in its depth of coverage – a franchise owner can run their own sweet shop, sell handmade gourmet chocolates or even supply shopping malls selling a variety of self-serve products like those run by Street Corner.
You should research what type of business model would be the best fit for your skills and aspirations.
Here are a variety of franchise opportunities within the confectionery sector:
-
Chocolate franchise opportunities will provide chocolatiers a chance to tap into a fast-growing market, with cocoa products outperforming all other confectionary goods.
You also have the chance to operate under well-known high street brands, such as Thorntons or luxury chocolate store Hotel Chocolat.
Remember, being a fast-growing market means you are likely to be up against more competition. -
Sweet
shops and candy stores are a great business opportunity as this stock has a long shelf-life.
As well as the contemporary pick-n-mix style stores, there are also old-fashioned, traditional sweet stores, such as the Mr. Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe franchise.
Your main competition in the sweet sector are the supermarkets, who also offer convenient and cheap confectionary products. -
Ice cream
parlours , frozenyoghurt and gelato stands are also a popular business to run within theconfectionary market.With Brits spending approximately £1.1billion a year on ice cream, well-loved brands such as Mr. Whippy and Ben and Jerry’s offer entrepreneurs the chance to operate under an established brand.
In thisindustry you should consider whether you prefer to operate out of a van, vending machine or ice creamparlour . -
Baked goods such as patisseries, donut stores, waffle, cake or pretzel shops can also provide entrepreneurs with a lucrative franchise within the
confectionary sector.
Britain is a country of baking buffs, with programmes such as The Great British Bake-off taking the nation by storm.
Franchise opportunities include Dunkin’ Donuts, Cinnabon, and Wafflemeister, which can also benefit from high profit through accompanying hot beverage sales. -
Vending machine snack franchise opportunities will suit those entrepreneurs that don’t have the time or capital to run a retail store.
It is also a low-cost way to break into theconfectionary sector.
Snack-in-the-box is a business opportunity offered by Mars and boasts to be the UK’s top vending franchise. -
Online confectionary and wholesale franchises is another low-risk opportunity to break into the
confectionary market without needing the capital to own or rent a physical premise.
Tasty Tubs is a franchise opportunity that offers own brand and imported sweets in bulk to large and small confectionary retailers.