Baskin Robbins Executive Summary
BR is a global chain of ice cream parlors founded in Glendale, California by Burton Baskin and Irvine Robbins, ice cream enthusiast brothers-in-law, whose passion inspired what is now the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops. What was once a selection of 31 flavors—Baskin-Robbins “31®” stands for a different ice cream flavor for each day of the month—has grown to more than 1,000 in its flavor library. “We sell fun, not ice cream. Today, Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty stores, serving over 150 million customers worldwide, but the brand is still guided by the same credos and innovative thinking as its founders. Baskin-Robbins has historically led the industry with innovations such as hand-packed quarts of ice cream, a unique flavor ribbon technique and the use of traditional ingredients such as apple pie and cheesecake.
And, Baskin-Robbins continues to introduce new creations that surprise and delight customers – in 2008 the brand launched Soft Serve, making it the largest national chain to offer both Soft Serve and hand scooped ice cream. Additional products include layered sundaes, signature ice cream cakes and a growing line of beverages, including Fruit Blasts, Fruit Blast Smoothies, Cappuccino Blast® and shakes. Dunkin’ Donuts, BR and Togo’s, formerly branded together as Allied Domecq Quick Service Restaurants (ADQSR), now are known as Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. The new name comes with a tagline: “eat. drink. hink. ” that headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts.
In December, Dunkin’ Brands was acquired by a U. S. investment group of Bain Capital, Thomas Lee Partners and the Carlyle Group. They have leveraged the brand equity and success of Dunkin’ Donuts to create a name that clearly identifies their business and provides immediate recognition in the global marketplace. The re-branding has created renewed motivation from the teams of talented people involved with each brand and the organization, providing the resources to drive strategic market expansion both nationally and internationally.
