WALLINGFORD, Conn., Aug. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Edible Arrangements, the pioneer and leader in hand-sculpted, fresh-fruit arrangements, is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of its first franchise location which opened in Waltham, Massachusetts in August 2001. Positioning itself for growth for the next ten years and beyond, the company has announced the promotion of several key leaders to its executive management team – Kristy Ferguson has been named Chief Strategy Officer, Steve Thomas has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer, Matt Bailey has been appointed to Vice President of Operations and Kaitlin Power has been promoted to Vice President of Ecommerce.
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"The experience and industry expertise that our leaders bring to the executive team is exactly what we need to continue Edible Arrangements' strong national and international growth," said Tariq Farid, CEO of Edible Arrangements, International, Inc. "We are confident that they will excel in their new roles and help further enhance the company for success now and in the future."
As Chief Strategy Officer, Ferguson is now responsible for defining companywide strategy and goals and ensuring they are met, including the company's customer-focused mission, "To WOW You!" In 2004, she assumed the position of Vice President of Marketing after briefly serving as Director of Marketing. Ferguson was then named Executive Vice President, responsible for building the Edible Arrangements franchise system globally. Prior to joining the company, Ferguson worked for several advertising agencies on food brands such as McDonald's, Einstein Bros Bagels, Noah's Bagels, and Captain D's Seafood.
In Thomas' new role as Chief Marketing Officer, he is responsible for overseeing consumer research, strategic alliances, storefront image, field marketing, advertising development, franchise business development and consumer public relations, and media planning and execution. Additionally, he is also charged with supporting the company's e-commerce marketing initiatives. Thomas joined Edible Arrangements in 2007 as Vice President of Strategic Alliances and moved into the role of Vice President of Marketing in July of 2007. He brings more than 27 years of consumer marketing and large franchise system experience to the management team, including past positions at Burger King and Subway.
Bailey has been promoted to Vice President of Operations and will now direct all aspects of store operations, training and management. He joined Edible Arrangements in 2005, managing the in-house training program and delivering on-site support to new store locations throughout the United States and Canada. Previously, Bailey served as a Franchise Field Business Consultant with the International Dairy Queen Corporation where he was the point of contact for franchisees in the northeast US market.
As Vice President of Ecommerce, Power will now direct every aspect of the Edible Arrangements online experience, including web development, implementation and support across multiple e-tail sites and call center channels, as well as e-marketing including online advertising, email marketing, search engine optimization, online promotions, online partnerships and web trend analysis. She joined Edible Arrangements in 2005 as a Marketing Coordinator and has since assumed the roles of Director of Web Communications and Senior Director of EAConnect. Power's marketing experience with Vitamin Water, Sports Illustrated and Micrologic introduced her to emerging Ecommerce trends, including social media and other e-marketing tactics.
Since opening the first franchise location 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. 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.
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
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