Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins, Inc. is an American multinational chain of ice cream and cake specialty shops owned by Inspire Brands. Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California.<ref name="Our History">"Our History Template:Webarchive". Baskin-Robbins' web site. Accessed 25 Feb. 2013.</ref> Its headquarters are in Canton, Massachusetts, and shared with sibling brand Dunkin' Donuts. It is the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty stores,<ref name=entre>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Dunkin' Brands moves to Canton, Mass. from Randolph, Mass.">Template:Cite web</ref> with more than 7,800 locations.

The company is known for its "31 flavors" slogan, with the idea that a customer could have a different flavor every day of any month. The logo includes a stylized "31" formed from the letters "B" and "R". The slogan came from the Carson-Roberts advertising agency (which later merged into Ogilvy & Mather) in 1953. The company has introduced more than 1,400 flavors since 1945,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> including the addition of vegan and non-dairy flavors in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

Throughout the 1940s in Southern California, Americans Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins independently opened shops selling ice cream.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> The pair were brothers-in-law, and both had experience working with ice cream: Robbins's father owned an ice cream shop where Robbins worked as a teenager, and Baskin had made ice cream for fellow navymen in World War II.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> In America at the time, consumers were very attached to three ice-cream flavors: chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, despite the efforts of another businessman, Howard Johnson.<ref name=":0" />

Robbins opened his first store, Snowbird Ice Cream, in 1945 in Glendale, selling 21 flavors, then an unusual amount. The following year, Baskin opened his first store in Pasadena, Burton's Ice Cream Shop. The pair quickly opened new stores and as of 1948 they collectively had 6 stores. By 1949, this had increased to over 40.<ref name=":0" /> By this point their businesses were associated, and that year, they purchased a dairy in Burbank to gain more control over production.<ref name=":1" />

In 1953, the approach of separate brand identities was dropped, and the entity "Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream" was created per the advice of the advertising firm Carson/Roberts.<ref name=":1" /> The "31" referenced the amount of flavors, chosen to permit the customer a new flavor each day of the month; some of these original flavors included Chocolate Mint, Black Walnut and Coffee Candy. As they expanded, the pair began franchising their stores.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Beyond the large amount of flavors, Baskin-Robbins was unusual for their stores decorated with clowns and pink and brown polka dots, intended to reflect a value of fun. Their stores also introduced small sampling spoons, an element which has since been replicated in many ice cream stores.<ref name=":0" />

Original logo used from 1953 to 1980

Between 1949 and 1962, the corporate firm was known as Huntington Ice Cream Company. The name succeeded The Baskin-Robbins Partnership and was eventually changed back to Baskin-Robbins, Inc. on November 26, 1962.Template:Citation needed Baskin-Robbins was owned by its founders 1967, just before Baskin's death, when it was acquired by the United Fruit Company for an estimated $12 million.<ref name=":0" /> In the 1970s, the chain expanded internationally, opening stores in Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Australia.<ref name="Baskin-Robbins Japan Celebrates the Opening of Its 1,000th Store">Template:Cite press release</ref>

A 1967 Baskin-Robbins store in Portland, Oregon, with the 1991–2006 logo on August 8, 2013 (closed in mid-2014), that retained its original look, a design typical of the chain's outlets in the 1960s

In 1972, the company went public when United Brands sold 17% in an initial public offering. The next year, J. Lyons and Co. purchased Baskin-Robbins and all public stock. The firm then merged with Allied Breweries, becoming Allied-Lyons in 1978. In 1994, Allied-Lyons merged with Pedro Domecq S.A, becoming Allied Domecq. For the next year they remained under the control of Allied Domecq as part of Dunkin' Brands, Inc., made up of them and Dunkin' Donuts.<ref name=":2" />

During the early 2000s, Baskin-Robbins struggled to retain business.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006, Dunkin' Brands was purchased by a group of private equity firmsTemplate:SndBain Capital, Thomas H. Lee Partners, and The Carlyle Group.<ref name=":2">This page, Template:Cite web, at the Dunkin' Brands site, confirms the Baskin-Robbins founding date, the J. Lyons purchase (and date), the Allied Breweries merger (and date), and the Pedro Domecq merger (and date). Quotes: "1946: Baskin-Robbins is founded by Burt Baskins and Irv Robbins."; "1973: London-based J. Lyons & Co., Ltd., purchased Baskin-Robbins."; "1978: J. Lyons is purchased by Allied Breweries, creating Allied Lyons."; "1994: Allied Lyons partners with Pedro Domecq, the leading spirits marketer in Spain and Mexico, to form Allied Domecq."</ref> That year, the company's "BR" logo was updated to highlight reference the number "31".Template:Citation needed In 2012, Dunkin' Brands became independent from the private equity firms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> New stores opened in the mid-2010s,<ref name=":3" /> often co-branded with Dunkin Donut's.

In 2014, Baskin-Robbins began selling ice cream in supermarkets for the first time in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Three years later, the brand began selling via delivery service platform DoorDash in 22 US cities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December 2020, Dunkin' Brands was purchased by Inspire Brands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Baskin-Robbins debuted an updated logo, alongside the new tagline "Seize the Yay", in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chris Buck and Barack Obama are two notable former employees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

International presence

As of 2017, Baskin-Robbins had more than 8,000 shop locations in Aruba, Australia, Bahrain, Bhutan, Canada, China, Colombia, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Egypt, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen. International locations feature flavors of ice cream popular in each country, such as Red Bean, Litchi Gold, Blackcurrant and Cantaloupe. The most popular flavors of Baskin-Robbins in Asia are Mint Chocolate Chip and Cookies & Cream.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Baskin-Robbins has previously been present in other countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Malta, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Philippines,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Portugal, Russia, South Africa, and St. Maarten.

Cambodia does not have any locations of Baskin-Robbins but their products are officially available at an Au Bon Pain bakery franchise.Template:Citation needed

The standalone stores in Bangladesh were closed down, but their products are available at multiple local stores.Template:Citation needed

In Japan, China (including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau), Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh, Baskin-Robbins is known popularly as "31" or "31 ice cream".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Australia

Baskin-Robbins Australia is a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Inspire Brands, the parent company of Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin'. In October 2010, Dunkin' Brands terminated its license agreement with the collapsed Allied Brands Group for Baskin-Robbins in Australia, and now supports its Australian franchisees directly.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Baskin-Robbins Australia Franchise Support & Training Centre is based in Brisbane.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ireland

Baskin Robbins opened in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2015 with a total of eight shops.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Gallery

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  Co-branded Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, Thomasville, Georgia
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  Baskin-Robbins in Thornhill, Ontario
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  Quito Ecuador in 2022 at a Baskin-Robbins ice cream
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  Baskin-Robbins ice cream

See also

• List of ice cream parlor chains
• Häagen-Dazs
• Ben & Jerry's

External links

• Template:Official website
  • Template:URL
  • Template:URL (The corporate name is "B-R 31 ICE CREAM CO., LTD." in Japan)
  • Baskin Robbins Middle East