A new Cold Stone Creamery is under construction in Plymouth, Michigan, with an opening targeted for this fall, though the company has not released an exact address or opening date. The Plymouth shop is the first concrete sign of a broader push to add eight to 12 new Cold Stone locations across Michigan over the next four years.
The Plymouth build was announced alongside news that the ice cream chain has awarded another Michigan location to a franchisee, though that site remains undisclosed and is still in the early stages of development, according to MLive. Cold Stone currently operates 27 locations across Michigan and is focusing its growth on the Metro Detroit area, per the outlet’s reporting. Brand leader Blake Borwick said Michigan is “an exciting market” for the company, “particularly as the Detroit metro area experiences renewed economic growth and investment.”
Cold Stone believes some customers are already traveling significant distances to reach existing locations, and the company sees an opportunity to bring stores closer to communities, the same report notes. Plymouth fits that logic: the combined city and township area has more than 37,000 residents and median household incomes exceeding $100,000, according to the Plymouth Community Chamber of Commerce. That kind of suburban purchasing power, in a corridor between Detroit and Ann Arbor, is the type of demographic profile franchise site-selectors chase.
Who’s Bankrolling the Buildout
The Michigan expansion is being backed in part by franchisee Kyle Welch, whose ownership group already runs four Michigan stores and is supporting the statewide push. Welch co-founded Chicago Scoops LLC, which grew into Cold Stone’s largest domestic franchisee, with more than 40 locations spread across over 10 states, according to the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. Welch is an MSU School of Hospitality Business graduate, giving the Michigan rollout a local alumni connection to go with its operational muscle…