“Start with just one or two SKUs,” Focus Brands’ Kat Cole advises. “If it’s the right product, the right market, in line with your brand and priced right, it will grow into a bigger market opportunity.”
“Premium products that are pulsed in and out can add value and excite consumers,” Cole notes. “They can be just as profitable as extended-life products.”
Shoppers in Mexico prefer sauced ready-to-cook meats over heat-and-eat versions, and Europeans aren’t used to baking cinnamon rolls at home from refrigerated dough. International licensing deals may be more complex since area franchisees are usually involved.
The New York chicken tender chain struggled coming out of the pandemic with inflation and several legal challenges. It is the latest in a string of industry bankruptcy filings.
Industry veteran Darin Harper is the new chief finance officer at the eatertainment chain, while Doug Koob becomes chief development officer at the hot dog concept, plus more industry moves of the week.