• awards
  • Edible Arrangements
  • Franchise
  • International Franchise Association
  • Tariq Farid

This week, the International Franchise Association (IFA) held their annual conference and I marked one year since I was granted the honor of joining the IFA’s Hall of Fame. It was an incredibly humbling experience to be given this award after such a long entrepreneurial journey.

Continue reading “Celebrating One Year in IFA’s Hall of Fame”

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  • Edible Arrangements
  • Franchise

Media interviews continue to help spread the story about Edible Arrangements. Being featured in segment about Connecticut companies took me back to where it began.  This has been way beyond what I ever dreamed. What a blessing.

WorkinCT: My interview with Amanda Raus

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  • American Dream
  • board of directors
  • Edible Arrangements
  • entrepreneurs
  • Franchise
  • franchisees
  • franchising
  • IFA
  • NextGen
IFA Convention Logo 2016

The past weekend was a very special one for several reasons.

First, I was privileged to take my place as part of the International Franchise Association (IFA) board of directors at the organization’s annual convention in San Antonio.

As I have said many times, it is the franchise model that has allowed Edible Arrangements to become a global icon while, at the same time, creating opportunities for our many franchisees to become owners of their own businesses and pursue the American Dream. Continue reading “An exciting opportunity to help shape the future of franchising”

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  • 1000 stores
  • American Dream
  • Edible Arrangements
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Franchise
  • International Franchise Association
  • Military veterans
  • Tariq Farid
  • technology
  • Veterans Day. VetFran

For many years I’ve participated in numerous events sponsored by the International Franchise Association (IFA), the world’s premier organization for franchisors, franchisees and industry suppliers. It’s been an honor, as well as an education, to meet the brightest people in franchising through the IFA, and now I’ve been given an opportunity to work with the IFA at the highest possible level as a member of its board of directors. I’m humbled by the recent decision of IFA’s leadership to appoint me to the board beginning in February 2016. Continue reading “An opportunity to advance franchising worldwide”

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  • Company Growth
  • Edible Arrangements
  • Franchise
  • president
  • Retail
  • Rob Price
  • Tariq Farid

Today it is my pleasure to introduce Robert Price as the new President of Edible Arrangements®. This is an incredibly exciting time for the company. As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we also are embarking on an era that promises dramatic growth opportunities. A lot of our focus over the past year has been on putting the pieces in place that will allow us to take full advantage of these new opportunities. The addition of Rob, with his experience and expertise, significantly enhances the talented leadership team we have in place.

Rob comes to Edible Arrangements with more than two decades of marketing and brand building experience at some of America’s most highly regarded retailers. He most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for CVS/pharmacy, where he led all marketing, advertising, sales promotion, e-commerce, customer insights, store design and customer loyalty programs for the 7,400-store pharmacy chain.

During Rob’s tenure at CVS/pharmacy, the company:

  • Grew retail revenue over $20 Billion.
  • Increased membership in the company’s loyalty program to 69 million households.
  • Drove personalization through new mobile tools, more effective e-mail marketing and the first-of-its-kind personalized digital weekly advertising circular.
  • Nearly doubled online sales and drove a tenfold increase in mobile engagement.
  • Introduced a new store prototype with data-driven variations based on local market conditions.

Rob’s experience also includes leadership positions with convenience retailer Wawa Food Markets and the H-E-B Grocery chain. He also worked for the parent company of Hardees and Roy Rogers restaurants. Rob began his career at The Monitor Company, a management consulting firm.

Rob graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Applied Economics and earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School with high academic distinction. He is also a member of the 2012 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute, an honor given to just 21 people in the country each year.

On a personal note, Rob and his wife, Sue, have three sons — Sam (16), Max (14) and Jack (12) – and recently celebrated their 20th anniversary.

Rob shares my passion for the importance of creating a culture of service, innovation and collaboration. Like me, he has retail in his blood. His grandparents and great grandparents were shopkeepers, and his personal retail experience includes time on the front line. I have no doubt that Rob’s experience and skills are a perfect match for our leadership needs as we embark on this exciting new era of growth.

Welcome to the Edible Arrangements family, Rob.

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