in the coming year, further strengthening
that brand."
In 2013 ICED was down 50 stores (to
341 from 392), which either closed or left
the system; 154 still are in North America,
where annual sales were $67 million.
System-wide sales were $86 million, down
from $101 million in 2012. "Wide-format
is a strong profit center for our franchises,"
Groot added, "and we are expanding other
opportunities, such as ad specialties, as part
of our mix of in-house production and
outsourcing.
"Our owners want to learn more about
marketing, not just selling," he contin-
ued. "Most have embraced our Marketing
Certification program." Working with Kate
Dunn and Barb Pellow at InfoTrends, ICED
offered a four-part series that began in
late spring of 2013 and will wrap-up in
September 2014. Along the way, Dunn
reinforces the concepts through webinars
for the members. "The response from our
owners has been extremely enthusiastic,"
Groot reported.
Nearly 50 of ICED's domestic locations
have operated under the same ownership
for 20 years or longer. "Our focus in the
immediate future is to help those centers
transition to new ownership," he said.
"Toward that end, we have invested our
efforts in a more robust resale program.
"As ICED approaches our 47th year, we
remain committed to helping our fran-
chisees achieve success in the rapidly and
ever-changing communications industry,"
Groot concluded.
He noted that the ICED was shaken
in 2013 with the sudden death of Mary
Hadfield, who founded Kwik Kopy Corp. in
1967 with her husband, Bud, who passed
away three years ago.
"Bud and Mary built a strong company
with an equally strong company culture.
So while we may have been shaken, that
strength allows us to continue moving for-
ward for the sake of our franchise family,"
Groot said.
Want More Details?
Be sure to check out our expanded cov-
erage on MyPRINTResource.com. To view
detailed breakdowns of franchise financials,
including charts and infographics, please
visit MyPRINTResource.com/1135434. ◗◗
A p r i l 2 0 1 4 / Q U I C K P R I N T I N G 13
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