Durango, Colorado--(Newsfile Corp. - October 4, 2022) - Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. (NASDAQ: RMCF) (the "Company," "we" or "RMCF"), an international franchiser and manufacturer of gourmet chocolates and other confectionary products ranked number one on Newsweek's list of "America's Best Retailers 2022" in the chocolate and candy stores category, hosted its biennial National Franchisee Convention in Indio, CA. from September 21-23, 2022.
The three-day event themed "Connect. Collaborate. Celebrate." was the first since 2018 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. It brought together 117 store owners and managers representing 77 franchise stores and nearly 40% of network sales, as well as much of the Company's leadership team and staff.
"We were delighted by the turnout and the positive response to the content we presented," Chief Executive Officer Rob Sarlls said. "Navigating the current economic environment is difficult. Our franchisees have persevered in the face of not only Covid-19 but with ever changing consumer and retail dynamics. Helping franchisees understand and adapt to critical business and shopper changes is an increasingly important element of our mission."
"We've been store owners for many years," said a premier, top-performing Washington State franchisee, "but this convention was our first opportunity in a long time for corporate officers to hear from all of us. We sense the pace of the Company is picking up, especially with a new leadership team, fresher marketing, and a stronger brand. It's exciting to see.
The convention offered an array of educational workshops geared to help franchisees improve store operations, build employee and customer engagement, and enhance awareness and presence of their stores both online and in person. Additionally, 21 critical RMCF partner suppliers participated in a vendor showcase highlighting relevant new products and services.
"The Vendor Showcase was valuable because as new store owners we were able to better determine priorities on the things we needed most to learn about -- especially technology products," noted a multiple award winning California franchisee.
In a State of the Business report CEO Sarlls told franchisees he continues to build a strong leadership team with proven expertise in the franchise industry. Chief Financial Officer, Allen Arroyo, who joined the Company in August 2022, and newly appointed Vice President - Sales and Marketing, Andrew Ford, have extensive backgrounds in franchising and branded food and beverage spaces, respectively. Sarlls also noted the Company will engage more aggressively with franchisees on priority issues including brand development, sales and marketing, technology, and new product introductions.
Several in-depth sessions during the convention demonstrated how franchisees can develop integrated communications solutions to take advantage of rapidly evolving shopper behavior. An Innovation Showcase enabled franchisees to collaborate directly with an array of Company departments to learn about new offerings in creative services such as design & construction, finance, franchise development and support, IT, manufacturing, and marketing firms.
About Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., (the "Company"), ranked number one on Newsweek's list of "America's Best Retailers 2022" in the chocolate and candy stores category and headquartered in Durango, Colorado, is an international franchiser of gourmet chocolate, confection and self-serve frozen yogurt stores and a manufacturer of an extensive line of premium chocolates and other confectionery products. The Company, its subsidiaries and its franchisees and licensees operate more than 325 Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and self-serve frozen yogurt stores across the United States, Qatar, the Republic of Panama, and The Republic of the Philippines. The Company's common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "RMCF."
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes statements of RMCF's expectations, intentions, plans and beliefs that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to come within the safe harbor protection provided by those sections. These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. The statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this communication are forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "will," "intend," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "should," "plan," "estimate," "potential," "prospects," "build" or similar expressions. Factors which could cause results to differ from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the potential cost and length of legal proceedings, the potential disruption to normal business operations caused by legal proceedings, the difficulty of predicting the results of complex legal proceedings and any unfavorable resolution of the lawsuit against the AB Value/Radoff Group. For a detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties that may cause RMCF's actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements, please see the section entitled "Risk Factors" contained in Item 1A. of the RMCF's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, filed with the SEC on May 27, 2022, as amended by Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on June 28, 2022. These forward-looking statements apply only as of the date hereof. As such they should not be unduly relied upon for more current circumstances. Except as required by law, RMCF undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements that might reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this presentation or those that might reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
MEDIA CONTACT
Rob Swadosh
SwadoshGroup
908.723.2845
INVESTOR CONTACT
Sean Mansouri, CFA
Elevate IR
720-330-2829
RMCF@elevate-ir.com
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