First Edible Arrangements Franchise Location Celebrates 10th Anniversary

WALLINGFORD, Conn., Aug. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Edible Arrangements, the pioneer and leader in hand-sculpted, fresh-fruit arrangements, is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of its first franchise location. In August 2001, Chris Dellamarggio opened his first Edible Arrangements store at 350 Moody Street in Waltham, Massachusetts and today owns five additional units all in the greater Boston area.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110214/MM48238LOGO)

In December 2010, Chris opened his sixth store in Downtown Boston that has Edible To Go, a quick service concept which offers fresh dipped fruits, salads and smoothies alongside the traditional fresh fruit bouquets offered at Edible Arrangements stores.  Dellamarggio's Edible To Go store gives customers the opportunity to walk in and pick up a quick fresh fruit snack or arrangement, or experience how dipped fruit is made at the storefront dipping station. 

"I was initially intrigued to learn more about Edible Arrangement because of the product itself – it was so revolutionary and I believed consumers would find it very appealing," said Dellamarggio.  "Since joining as a franchisee ten years ago, I jumped in with both feet and haven't looked back once. Knowing how many lives we have touched with our fresh-fruit arrangements over the years really makes all the hard work to get to this point worth it."

Since Dellamarggio's opening 10 years ago, Edible Arrangements has grown to nearly 1,000 locations and is now available to consumers in 10 countries outside the United States and Puerto Rico. Adding to this remarkable development, in May 2011 the company announced aggressive expansion plans with the goal of opening 150 new locations in 2011, and 200 additional locations in 2012.

"It has been extremely rewarding watching the growth of the brand first hand and the evolution of Edible To Go," continued Dellamarggio. "When I first learned of Edible Arrangements I knew that the company had tremendous potential, especially in the Boston area, yet I never expected we would grow to the business we are today in just a decade of operation.  Day after day, we still love to see the look on our customers' faces when they see the 'Wow Factor' that Edible Arrangements is all about." 

Edible Arrangements has earned countless accolades from the franchise industry since its inception, including its ranking as first in its category by Entrepreneur Magazine's Annual "Franchise 500" Ranking for the past five consecutive years and the winner of the ICSC's 2010 Hot Retailer Award.  In addition, the company has also ranked for seven consecutive years in Inc. Magazine's top 5,000 fastest growing privately-held companies, as well as named one of the "10 Most Promising Franchises for 2011."  Edible Arrangements also ranked ninth on Forbes "2011 Top Franchises to Start for the Money."

Individuals seeking to own and operate an individual Edible Arrangements franchise should possess a minimum liquidity of $60,000 and the ability to invest approximately $148,000 to $286,000.  Multi-unit store development plans and financing options are also available for qualified applicants. Edible Arrangements offers its franchisees comprehensive corporate and onsite training, unparalleled technology, daily store support and national brand recognition marketing programs.

About Edible Arrangements

Edible Arrangements International, Inc. is the leading purveyor of delicious, high quality, artistically designed, fresh fruit arrangements that are practical and healthy gifts and centerpieces for everyday occasions and events.  Brothers Tariq and Kamran Farid developed and launched the company in 1999 in East Haven, CT, after many years in the floral industry.  Edible Arrangements stores are located in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Italy, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Jordan.  Customers may order arrangements by telephone at 1-877-DO-FRUIT, at one of the company's retail stores, or on-line at ediblearrangements.com.

All franchise offerings are made only by Franchise Disclosure Document.

Media Contact:
Jenna Kantrowitz
Fish Consulting
646.454.9708
[email protected]

SOURCE Edible Arrangements