Great American Cookies Celebrates 25 Years of "Sharing the FUN of Cookies"

    SALT LAKE CITY, June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- For Great American Cookies, being
 in the business of fun for a quarter of a century is an occasion that's simply
 too sweet to overlook.
     To Great American Cookies, a 316-store cookie retail giant, the upcoming
 birthday marks more than just a calendar date the first store opened - it
 celebrates 25 years of Great American tradition. Appropriately, Great American
 Cookies will celebrate July 4th with extra vigor this year to mark its own
 25th year, along with the nation's birthday.
     "It's appropriate that we center our anniversary around America's
 birthday," said Melissa Hallenbeck, Brand Manager of Great American Cookies.
 "For 25 years, we have built an American tradition for customers with great
 tasting products and a genuinely fun culture."
     To mark this special occasion, Great American Cookie stores throughout the
 nation will treat customers to a patriotic celebration, including a
 Sweepstakes (running through July 15, 2002), in which the grand prize is a
 Caribbean cruise from Carnival Cruise Lines(R). (Other prizes include $2,500
 cash, free cookie certificates for a year and cookie tins filled with a dozen
 cookies.) Customer giveaways will include a coupon book, custom magnets and
 mugs illustrating a 25th anniversary logo.  Stores will also promote their
 annual Americana patriotic Cookie Cakes that will include American Flag &
 Heart Flag Cookie Cake designs, as well as a new "God Bless America" 16"
 Cookie Cake design. For more information, visit www.greatamericancookies.com.
     "We encourage all of our franchisees and store managers to have fun with
 this 25th anniversary campaign," said Frann Wolfe, senior vice president of
 marketing. "We take the fun aspect of our business very seriously - every
 owner and manager is charged with 'sharing the fun of cookies' with every
 customer that visits our stores."
     In its 25 years of sharing the fun of cookies, Great American Cookies has
 creatively celebrated such special occasions as participating in the 1984
 Worlds Fair in New Orleans; developing the world's largest cookie that spanned
 across one shopping mall's lower atrium area; creating a giant dinosaur-shaped
 cookie cake to welcome a new dinosaur exhibit to Fern Bank Museum in Atlanta,
 and participating in kid's demonstrations, with one franchisee who lures
 customers in with magic tricks and tasty treats.
     Great American Cookies, most noted for its signature Cookie Cakes," began
 baking its way into American's hearts and stomachs in 1977, when company co-
 founder Arthur Karp shared his grandmother's favorite chocolate chip cookie
 recipe with business partner Michael Coles. That year, they opened their first
 store in Georgia's Perimeter Mall. The first franchised store opened in 1978.
     From this one store and one recipe, Great American Cookies expanded in
 malls across the country and developed a complete line of cookies, brownies
 and cookie cakes. Four years ago, the phenomenal success of Great American
 Cookies attracted the attention of the Salt Lake City-based Mrs. Fields'
 Famous Brands, the leading retailer and franchiser of "baked on premise" snack
 products in the United States. Mrs. Fields acquired Great American Cookies in
 August 1998.
     Great American Cookies' motto, "Share the FUN of Cookies," has allowed the
 25-year-old company to strengthen the brand through the inception of unique
 cookie cake designs (over 100 to choose from), and volume discounts to
 encourage corporate and large party orders. The brand prides itself on
 delivering fresh baked superior quality products to its customers, and
 emphasizes a fun and entertaining experience for customers.
     Great American Cookies, operator and franchiser of mall-based specialty
 retail cookie outlets, is a subsidiary of Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, Inc.  The
 system has 316 retail outlets, including 106 corporate stores and 210
 franchise locations.
 
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SOURCE  Great American Cookies