|
|
SABizOps.co.za  Franchising
Serving Up A Treat
Re-opening the revamped Fourways Ola Milky Lane store has been “an exciting adventure” for first time franchisee Malini Sanjith - and a learning curve that has left her with a passion for both ice cream and the brand behind it.
Sanjith took over the Fourways franchise at the beginning of May 2009. She had resigned from a large paper and pulp company and opened a consultancy at the end of 2008. An opportunity within the ice cream industry with one of its most respected, award winning companies was one for which she’d waited for some time.
She explained that her family already had interests in this area. “In my family, ice cream was always a topic of discussion so I had a feel for the market. I also have a strong belief in both the product and in the brand,” she said, adding that a strong focus and a love of ice cream would prove instrumental in growing her business. Her ultimate aim is to see it become Ola Milky Lane’s leading store.
If her first few months are anything to go by, then she is well on her way. The Fourways store was closed at the beginning of September for a complete make-over. During the first few days after re-opening, she was selling more than 100 donuts a day - equal to the entire month’s sales in some other stores! Another big seller at Fourways is ice cream cakes - one of Ola Milky Lane’s longest serving and most successful products. Sanjith believes that tailor making each ice cream cake to suit the customer - in terms of colour, texture and mix - is the value add that brings people back again and again. She spoke of parents who had bought a cake for their baby’s first birthday and returned to get another every year since then. Their child is now five!
Sanjith said she had taken over at Fourways during winter and was eagerly anticipating an upturn during summer. However, she also pointed out that franchise management group Retsol’s innovative approach to combining so-called winter and summer products - donuts and ice cream and coffees and ice cream - helped ensure that Ola Milky Lane was not a strictly seasonal business, but one that enabled franchisees to sustain their incomes throughout the year. Another plus was the variety of products on the menu. “When bringing their children here for ice-cream, parents can enjoy alternative offerings on our menu,” she explained. She added that, when it came to family time, a good coffee and a donut were the ideal accompaniment to a chocolate milkshake or sundae. Then again, donuts were also an ideal way of taking something home for those left behind - unlike ice cream, they don’t melt!
In months to come, Sanjith is looking forward to additions to existing successful product lines as well as the introduction of new products - and welcoming more and more customers to her Fourways franchise.
For more information on Ola Milky Lane, log onto www.olamilkylane.co.za
This article has been archived under Franchising for your research purposes
Click Here to Search Archives
sabizops.co.za  franchising |
87 Articles:
|
|
|
demographics survey
|
SME Guides / SABizOps Reader Survey
SME Guides & SABizOps are currently running a reader / visitor survey so that we may gain further insight into our website visitors and their areas of interest. We have some fantastic prizes up for grabs in our monthly draws so please assist by telling us a bit about yourself. Complete the reader survey and you could be a winner! |
|
|
|
|
subscribe to our newsletters
|
Please click the button below if you would like to subscribe to our SME Newsletters, BizSmarts and BizOps New Business Opportunities.
|
|
|
