Franchisee: Bill Hoffman
Kilwins | 262 and 359 Thames St., Newport
The pitch: A traditional-style confectioner offering high-quality chocolate, fudge, ice cream and assorted candy, with 60% of its stock made in the store. The kitchen is located near the store’s front window, so customers can view fudge and other products being made by a cook from scratch. The owner and part-time staff engage customers, creating a fun and welcoming experience.
Years in business: 12 (The second store at 359 Thames St. opened in mid-May.)
Employees: 25-30 per store, mostly part-time and seasonal
Cost to obtain franchise: $40,000 initial franchise fee; $381,290 to $898,274 initial investment; net worth requirement: $500,000; liquid cash requirement: $125,000
Before opening franchise: Hoffman was a self-proclaimed “corporate guy” who worked for General Electric for 10 years before segueing into publishing, owning and operating APT Publishing in Ohio. He sold the publishing company, as well as a golf-marketing business, and moved to Barrington, where he worked as a yacht broker, later serving as a captain on his biggest client’s boat.
Reason for opening: Hoffman stumbled across a Kilwins in Savannah, Ga., and thought the business would do well in New England. After strolling through Newport during the winter of 2008, he opened his own store where the former Army & Navy store was located on Thames Street.
“The experience is all about the senses. Our tagline is: ‘Sweet in every sense.’ There’s a bit of a sensory overload. There is the visual side of it. When you walk in the store, you see the cook paddling fudge or laying caramel out on the marble tables or making waffle cones. There is the smell; what smells better than sugar when it is cooking? And there is the taste. We’re showering you with something for all your senses. So, it’s a fun, happy place.”
“My reason for opening another store at 359 Thames St. is to serve more customers. Corporate called me and talked about opening a second store in Newport. We felt our first location at 262 Thames St. misses some foot traffic. The second store is to try and expand my brand in Newport and New England. And to give our employees more opportunity to grow with us.”
“I consider the franchisor to be my partner. They offer support. It’s nice to do it as a team, but still being independent works for me as a franchisee. I have learned from my previous businesses that starting something from scratch is really hard. In this case, I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. And our store in Newport has done extremely well.”
Franchise owners interested in being included in an upcoming Franchisee feature can contact PBN Researcher Cassius Shuman at (401) 680-4884 or Shuman@PBN.com.