• Enterprise

Sisters Claudine and Laurie, owners of the Roseville, MN store have just signed an agreement to open an Edible Arrangements store in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They brought a combination of business experience, talent and enthusiasm to their first store, opened in 2006, that is sure to make them successful in their expansion. I know firsthand how gratifying it can be working with family – I started my first business with the help of my parents, and worked with family members over the years in the floral industry, our computer technology companies, and still today at Edible Arrangements!

Like most siblings, Claudine and Laurie share many of the same likes and interests – golf, the Minnesota Twins, and traveling. They also have a good natured debate going on about how they first heard about Edible Arrangements. Laurie says she saw an advertisement in a magazine. Claudine says one of her clients received an Apple Blossom arrangement, and Claudine was so impressed she contacted the store to learn about franchising opportunities. The debate goes on, but their mother thinks she has the answer: Mom insists that the daughters heard about Edible Arrangements through her after she saw the company on the Food Network!

Claudine and Laurie bring a wide range of business skills to their enterprise. Before opening their first Edible Arrangements store Claudine spent over 10 years designing commercial space and selling business owners everything they needed to set up their business. She was also a construction manager for a scenic construction company that designed and built interiors for the Rainforest Café Restaurants and scenery for Betty Crocker, Relax the Back Stores, the WNBA Hall of Fame in Nashville, Disney World, Mall of America and Times Square. In addition to her experience as an EA franchisee, Laurie has many years of office management, volunteer coordination, fundraising, bookkeeping and Human Resources experience in a variety of mid to small organizations and non-profit settings.

I know that these complementary skills will continue to serve Claudine and Laurie well running their Edible Arrangements enterprise. Business administration experience, people management skills, creativity, and passion for what you do are the keys to success for any small businessperson. Claudine and Laurie have it all!

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  • annual convension
  • Edible Arrangements Annual Convention

Two weeks ago Edible Arrangements® held its sixth annual convention in Las Vegas, NV, our first one since we simplified our mission statement. Like many companies, we used to have one of those lofty run-on sentences full of buzzwords that sound good when you are saying them but are totally forgettable. Last summer I decided that our mission statement really ought to be nothing more than what we strive to do every day, so we changed our mission statement to simply “To WOW You!” It’s a mission that we truly live by, and a statement we – and our customers – can actually remember. Even more that just remembering it, anyone can measure it. After all, you know when an amazing product or over-the-top customer service wows you, and it’s a whole lot different from something that is just OK. For us, OK is definitely not OK!

Which brings me to the Edible Arrangements® convention two weeks ago. Our theme was “Nothing But WOW!” and we delivered! Our conventions are always packed with educational breakout sessions, a vendor tradeshow and general sessions, and this one was our best yet, with many more interactive activities for franchisees, a Tech Center with all the newest technology advances available to store owners and managers, and a full size storefront featuring our new Edible To Go concept! And as always we unveiled some exciting new technologies and other surprises to give attendees a sneak peek at upcoming products and promotions.

It’s so important to have an annual event so franchisees, store managers, vendors and corporate employees can all be together in one place and learn from each other. There’s no substitute for the opportunity for franchisees to get together to help each other with tips and suggestions, meet with vendors, and give face-to-face feedback to the corporate team.

We set out this year to provide an amazing experience for everyone by offering outstanding presentations and sessions and to have everyone leave with great ideas and reinvigorated energy to take their enterprises to the next level. Customers can see that our franchisees are living our mission to WOW you every day . . . now that’s a statement!

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  • Edible Arrangements China
  • franchise opportunities

Three months ago I made a return visit to Beijing after being away for eight years. As soon as I stepped off the plane I was amazed at the difference. I remembered many of the sights I saw along the way, but they were not recognizable. Everything in view was much more developed, sophisticated and modern – I could have been in any city in the US or Europe! Before I even reached my hotel, I was convinced that Edible Arrangements had to expand into China. I visited two more times since then, and have been diligently working towards the goal of bringing Edible Arrangements to China.
China Launch
We are honored to be coming to Beijing, to one of the best locations in the city. I am convinced that the success we have achieved in this venture so far is directly connected to the great people we’ve met, and to the people we expect to serve here – our first franchisee and the initial consumers who will show their confidence in our brand by becoming Edible Arrangements customers.

I feel blessed to be able to partner with our China Master and GOD wiling we look forward to working together to WOW every consumer in beautiful Beijing and all of China.

Stay tuned for more exciting news…… Thank you!

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  • blood donations
  • Edible Arrangements
  • red cross

red crossSummer is the season for spending time outdoors, enjoying our families, and taking much needed vacations. Unfortunately, the need for blood donations never takes a vacation. When we learned that summer is a typically slow time for blood donations we decided to do something to give people an incentive to visit their local Red Cross and donate.

edible arrangementsWe asked Edible Arrangements franchisees in the 35 states where there are American Red Cross blood drives if they wanted to participate in an incentive program. These independent owners and operators of EA stores overwhelmingly voted to help. The idea came from our stores in the Boston area who, working with their local Red Cross have been running a similar incentive program for several years. So during the entire month of August, anyone who donates blood at a Red Cross blood drive in one of the 35 participating states will receive a voucher for a free box of six pieces of chocolate dipped fruit. Blood donors can take the coupon right to their nearest store as soon as they donate, or save it for another day – it’s good until September 15.

This incentive program is a great opportunity for us and our local franchises to give back to our communities, and it dovetails with our “Random Acts of Happiness” program that began in late April and runs until August 31. For this program we created a “Random Acts of Happiness” website (actsofhappiness.com) and invited people to submit the little acts that bring people joy in their lives – whether it’s something they have done, or something nice that someone else did for them.

acts of Happiness
Visitors to the site can vote for their favorite random acts. At the end of August, the person whose random act of happiness got the most votes will win $10,000 and the organization with the most votes will win $20,000. But that’s not all. For every vote cast, up to 20,000 we are donating $1 to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, for all the happiness they bring to kids across the country.
Our blood drive events in 35 states are designed to give a little happiness to the blood donors who, through their donations, are performing random acts of happiness all during the month of August. It’s our way of saying thank you to all of them for their generosity.

States Participating in the American Red Cross Blood Drive Incentive Program: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

(Red Cross schedules blood drives to meet critical need)

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WALLINGFORD, Conn., July 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Edible Arrangements®, the pioneer and leader in artistically designed fresh-fruit displays and chocolate dipped fruit, is celebrating its third National Dipped Fruit Week beginning today. Customers are invited to visit their nearest Edible Arrangements® store and take home a 12-piece box of chocolate dipped fruit for only $10, normally a $25 value. Fruit selection varies and includes any of the following: bananas, oranges, apples and pineapple. $10 dipped fruit boxes must be picked up at a local store and are not eligible for delivery or shipping.

With summer in full swing, National Dipped Fruit Week is the perfect opportunity to refresh one’s palette. From July 10th through July 17th, Edible Arrangements®, the original fresh fruit expert, is offering an ideal summer indulgence without having to break the bank. Fruit lovers can pick up a box for themselves or surprise someone with a delicious treat. According to a recent survey conducted by Edible Arrangements®, 93% of U.S. adults agree receiving a gift out of the blue would brighten their day. (The Happiness Survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf Edible Arrangements® in March 2011 among 2,105 U.S. adults aged 18+.)

Customers can order online at www.ediblearrangements.com/dippedfruitweek, through the call center at 1-877-DO-FRUIT, or by visiting a local Edible Arrangements® location. Edible Arrangements® fruit experts are located in over 1,000 stores in communities nationwide.

Additionally, this summer Edible Arrangements® has launched Random Acts of Happiness®, a non-profit program benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters. For more information, please visit www.actsofhappiness.com.

About Edible Arrangements®

CEO Tariq Farid launched Edible Arrangements® with his brother, COO Kamran Farid, in 1999 in East Haven, CT, after years in the floral industry. Edible Arrangements International, Inc. is the leading purveyor of fresh fruit arrangements perfect for everyday occasions and special events. Stores are located in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Middle East, Italy, India and Hong Kong. All franchise offerings are made only by Franchise Disclosure Document.

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