Here are 2 links that will tell you about Freshii https://www.freshii.com/ca/en-ca/home

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1.Question 2 (Corporate Social Responsibility) Considering the mission, business strategy, target consumer, and products of Freshii, make a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy for the company that is currently not being done yet.Consider all elements of the triple bottom-line philosophy in order to provide a compelling plan.

2.Question 3 (Organizational Purchase) Freshii is considering purchasing and implementing a new touchscreen ordering system for its restaurant locations (example here).Referencing the five stages of the organizational buying decision process, briefly describe how Freshii would end up purchasing the new ordering systems.Be sure to discuss the main criteria that Freshii would use to evaluate alternatives and decide on the final supplier/product.

3.Question 4 (Global Marketing) Freshii is considering launching in a foreign country.

(a)Choose a foreign market to enter (can be a country you are familiar with). Why this country?

(b)Which of the four foreign market entry strategies do you recommend?Why this one vs. other ones? Be sure to demonstrate your knowledge of the market entry strategies.

What changes to its marketing mix would you implement if any?For example, how would you change its menu or product line to suit tastes?What type of marketing

1.Question 4 (Global Marketing) Freshii is considering launching in a foreign country.

(a)Choose a foreign market to enter (can be a country you are familiar with). Why this country?

(b)Which of the four foreign market entry strategies do you recommend?Why this one vs. other ones? Be sure to demonstrate your knowledge of the market entry strategies.

(c)What changes to its marketing mix would you implement if any?For example, how would you change its menu or product line to suit tastes?What type of marketing?

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Freshii CEO says growth still underway, but bottlenecks forced revised timelines

Ian Bickis

CALGARY

The Canadian Press

Published October 19, 2017 Updated October 19, 2017

The CEO of healthy fast-food chain Freshii says bottlenecks in new markets, delays from major franchise operators and the setback at outlets in Target stores combined to force the company's revised growth outlook late last month.

Speaking at a small business conference in Calgary Thursday, Matthew Corrin said the combination meant fewer outlets could open this year, but that the stores are still going ahead.

"As a fast-growing company, we learned things that we didn't have the benefit of a year ago that caused additional bottlenecks in opening those stores," Corrin said.

On Sept. 26, Freshii revised down expected store openings for the year to between 90 and 95 from 150 to 160, and total expected stores open by the end of 2019 from at least 810 to 730 stores.

But Corrin says the stores are still on their way.

"It wasn't a matter of if those stores opened, but when," he said. "For all intents and purposes, nothing at all changed in the business."

Permitting and construction delays, along with slower than expected timelines for major franchise operators, pushed store opening timelines from the expected nine months to twelve, he said.

"Every city we go into has a different permitting timeline, different landlords for the most part, different general contractors."

Corrin said the company has made numerous new hires this year, and changed some policies to help store roll-outs and that the timing is now back to nine months - but not in time to recover the store opening numbers for this year.

He said the company's decision to end an 18-outlet pilot with Target, because a lack of foot traffic at the retailer, also cut into net growth numbers.

The revised growth outlook sent the company's stock, which only listed in an IPO in January, down by a third.

"I'm the biggest shareholder by a long shot. My family and I own 30 per cent of the company. And so, as you can imagine, I am personally disappointed in the share price," Corrin said.

But he said he no longer looks at the daily stock price, and is focused on continuing to adapt to changing markets and pressures.

Corrin said companies that scale fast, that grow ahead of inflation and that cultivate a culture where employees are more productive and passionate can better adapt to changes like the minimum wage increases rolling out in several provinces.

"When you bring all that together, your minimum wage issue becomes way more defendable than your competition," he said. "So that's why we sleep well at night

Freshii scales back ambitious growth plan

By Francine Kopun Business reporter, The Star

Tues., Sept. 26, 2017

This fast-casual chain is one of the fastest-growing concepts in the world.

Analysts slashed target prices for Freshii Inc. stock on Tuesday after the company announced it will not fulfill its own ambitious expansion plans, and reduced its sales and earnings outlooks to the end of fiscal 2019.

Freshii issued the revisions late Monday, less than a year after its initial public offering in January, saying that it will open 60 fewer new stores than expected in 2017.

Freshii says it now expects between 90 and 95 net new openings for its 2017 financial year ending last December, down from the previous target of between 150 and 160 net openings including closures.(Graeme Roy / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO)

As a result it will grow system-wide sales by $80 million less than forecasted, to between $275 million and $285 million by the end of fiscal 2019, according to Freshii.

Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) will grow $5 million less than forecasted, to between $15 million and $17 million by the end of fiscal 2019.

RBC Dominion Securities Inc. analyst Sabahat Khan dropped his target price for the stock to $8 from $12, pointing out that investment metrics seemed to point to a degree of uncertainty in the company's ability to meet its targets even before the announcement was made.

"The guidance revision is likely to exacerbate investor concerns," wrote Khan.

CIBC analyst Mark Petrie downgraded the stock to neutral, setting a 12-18 month price target of $9, down from $14.

"Disappointing Q2 results and confusing communication had already crippled credibility with investors, and this clearly compounds the issue," Petrie wrote in his note to investors.

"While we believe the consumer and franchisee propositions remain attractive and see 2019 guidance as achievable, the near term presents too much uncertainty to recommend the stock today."

He added that while he believes the company has taken reasonable steps to improve execution of unit openings and sees 2019 guidance as achievable, Freshii's credibility has been severely damaged.

"It will take several quarters of solid execution and clear communication to fix this," Petrie wrote.

Freshii, which offers a menu of fresh ingredients at stores in Canada, and internationally, is operating in an increasingly competitive marketplace, said Andrew Alvarez, a lead analyst at the market research firm IBISworld Inc.

Grocery stores are getting into the sector with fresh, healthy prepared foods, and meal delivery kits operations like Blue Apron are competing for market share against quick-serve restaurants that are bumping up their healthy food offerings.

There is also a proliferation of independents coming out with similar ideas, including popular chefs, Alvarez points out.

"All these health-centric concepts are now coming to the forefront in a way that is much more forceful and competitive."

Ryan Bushell, vice-president and portfolio manager, Leon Frazer and Associates, said it's early for Freshii to be issuing an earnings guidance revision, so soon after the IPO.

"It speaks to sometimes the risk embedded in these IPOs," said Bushell.

"They put together a bunch of rosy projections, which is obviously what happened in this case, that the company wasn't able to meet."

The stock began trading publicly in January at $12 after a $125 million initial public offering of the stock. It closed at $8.86 on Monday.

Freshii says it now expects between 90 and 95 net new openings for its 2017 financial year ending Dec. 31, down from the previous target of between 150 and 160 net openings including closures.

It now estimates there will be 369 to 376 Freshii stores system-wide by Dec. 31, up from 345 as of Sunday.

It closed 17 of its non-traditional locations in Target department stores in the U.S. in the 13 weeks ended Sept. 24, which was the third quarter of fiscal 2017. One additional Freshii Target store will close by the end of this year.

Freshii also says that expansion in the United Kingdom and several U.S. states has been slower than expected because its multi-unit franchees have been more conservative in their real estate selection than the company anticipated.

The chain was in the news in May when it agreed, under threat of fines, to include calorie information on its menus, a practice newly required by Ontario law.

Short-term solutions to minimum wage hike could hurt businesses: Freshii founder

The Canadian Press, Financial Post Jan. 24, 2018 | Last Updated: Jan. 25, 2018 7:27 AM ET

Health-food eatery Freshii implemented a number of solutions ahead of Ontario's minimum wage hike that the company believes will continue to make it an attractive employer as the chain looks to expand rapidly over the next two years.

"There's been some public statements around how other brands are handling and how other brands are suggesting franchise owners handle the minimum wage increase," said founder and CEO Matthew Corrin.

"My view is that many of those suggestions feel short-term in nature. So, while immediate savings will be intact, I think the long-term impact on the culture potentially gets compromised."

Corrin, who did not name specific companies, said that when making business decisions, he tries to imagine how an employee who received paid breaks and food discounts would feel if those were taken away.

"We really focus on how can we differentiate the value proposition of choosing to don the Freshii uniform versus putting on the McDonald's uniform versus putting on the Tim Hortons uniform," he said.

Restaurant Brands International Inc. the parent company of Tim Hortons has faced criticism after some Tim Hortons franchise owners clawed back employee benefits to help absorb the Jan. 1 minimum wage bump to $14.

Corrin declined to comment on RBI's public battle with its franchisees over how to offset the minimum wage, saying he didn't know enough about what the company is doing.

At both RBI and Freshii, it's up to individual franchisees to determine how much to pay their employees so long as they follow labour laws and what benefits they offer.

When the minimum wage hike was first announced, Corrin said Freshii held a call with its Canadian franchisees and changed a few things after gaining experience dealing with such bumps south of the border. Seattle, where Freshii operates, started to incrementally increase minimum wage in 2015, reaching $15 an hour for many employees on Jan. 1, 2017.

Corrin said that the company raised prices on some items in the fall and started to buy some ingredients pre-prepped rather than chopping them in store to allow employees to instead spend that time, for example, handing out samples to draw more customers in.

Freshii's same-store sales are also helping to offset labour inflation, he added. Corrin anticipated the company would need that metric to grow around three to four per cent to outpace inflation, but Freshii has performed better than that.

The company released preliminary financial results Wednesday showing same-store sales grew 6.4 per cent in its fourth quarter and 5.5 per cent in its 2017 financial year. It will release full results for that time frame in late February.

Corrin said the company plans to open hundreds more locations this year and next, aiming for up to 760 stores by the end of its 2019 financial year, and creating hundreds of jobs in the process. It had 345 stores as of Sept. 24, 2017, according to financial documents, but added 25 net new stores in its most recent quarter.

Shares rose 53 cents or 7.53 per cent to $7.57 Wednesday after the company made the financial disclosures. In late September, the company's stock plummeted about 35 per cent in a day when Freshii scaled back its expansion plans by some 100 locations.

Companies in this story (TSX:FRII, TSX:QSR)

This up-and-coming restaurant chain studied McDonald's, Starbucks, and Chipotle to take them down

Kate Taylor

Feb. 6, 2016, 11:00 AM , Business Insider

This fast-casual chain is one of the fastest-growing concepts in the world.

Freshii doubled its locations in the last year, opening 120 locations in 2015 to bring the company to a total of more than 200 units. This year, the company plans to double that figure again.

"When you look at not just our growth, but how much money we spent to achieve said growth... it's unprecedented," Freshii CEO Matthew Corrin told Business Insider.

According to Corrin, the company hasn't spent any money on franchise advertising and has received less than $5 million in funding, in contrast to multi-million dollar funding rounds at fast-casual competitors like Sweetgreen and Dig Inn. Despite the lesser funding, Corrin says Freshii's comparable sales growth is beating all publicly-traded rivals.

Talking to Corrin, it is clear he has carefully studied what makes the biggest brands in the world tick. Here's what he has learned from some of the most successful companies around and how he hopes to take them down.

Chipotle: Market differently.

Facebook/Chipotle

Freshii made national headlines when Corrin published an open letter to McDonald's last year, challenging the fast-food giant to offer healthier options. The stunt was just the first for Corrin, who has since appeared on Undercover Boss and most recently introduced a burrito deal coinciding with Chipotle's shut down. On February 8, the chain is offering 50% off all Mexican-inspired menu items, as Chipotle holds a company-wide food safety meeting.

Hollis Johnson "If [Chipotle] wants to talk about it, I'm going to be part of the story too," says Corrin. "They know what they're doing."

While the deal is a pointed wink at Chipotle's struggles, it is also an adoption of the larger chain's traditionally fantastic marketing methods. Chipotle's decision to broadcast new safety measures by closing locations is a continuation of the company's ongoing marketing plan that emphasizes transparency and freshness.

It's also a better way to appeal to millennials. While younger customers hate most overt marketing campaigns, unexpected stunts and related press coverage have helped Freshii attract younger customers and franchisees. In fact, Corrin says 85% of Freshii franchise owners are millennials, compared to less than 12% of the industry as a whole.

"We need to do things that catch the attention of press," he says. "If the headline of a piece is really interesting, it literally sells franchises."

Starbucks: Think beyond restaurants.

Starbucks

However, Freshii doesn't want to become Chipotle 2.0. Instead, it wants to meet customers where they already are, similar to Starbucks' model for becoming omnipresent.

"Starbucks is in hundreds of bookstores, thousands of grocery stores, every airport, every college campus, lots of corporate campuses," says Corrin. "Starbucks became the preferred brand for the utility of caffeine. We want to become the preferred brand for the utility of fuel."

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Freshii partnered with Target last year to open nine Freshii locations, and teamed up with Equinox to open a location in a fitness center in 2009. Corrin hints more partnerships are on the horizon.

"All these fast-casual brands are competing for the same end-cap units," says Corrin. "We're not interested in playing that game of competing for real estate."

Zara: There's no shame in selling knock-offs.

A woman walks with a Zara bag in hand in Madrid Thomson Reuters

Corrin says that the most direct parallel for Freshii is actually in the world of fashion. Just as Zara brings fashion from runways to the masses, Freshii is working to make healthy food more accessible.

"We go around the world to boutique, local, one-off restaurants in really foodie cities, and every 70 days we bring really healthy menu items to the masses," says Corrin, who used to work for fashion designer Oscar de la Renta. "The reason that Zara is the most successful fashion retailer in the world is that they never have fashion misses, because you don't miss if you're not inventing. And, they're not inventing."

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The knock-off-centric business model also gives the chain a certain degree of flexibility. Instead of being the "Chipotle of [insert food here]," the company can constantly shift the menu to keep up with the latest health trends around the world.

Freshii

That means more flexibility in how Freshii boosts sales. On February 16, the company is launching "Meal Box," a meal plan that ships breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to customers for increments of one, three, five, or 30 days. At test locations, Corrin says the services boosted sales by 25%.

McDonald's: Go global.

McDonald's in the Wudaokou neighborhood of Beijing. Jonathan Garber

Freshii's combative letter to McDonald's helped put the brand on the map. Now, the chain wants to be as big as its rival.

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With locations in more than 80 cities and 15 countries just a decade after the first Freshii opened in Toronto, the chain is aggressively expanding internationally.

Hollis Johnson "The very simple thesis was the longer we waited the more American North American we'd be building our brand," says Corrin. "Then, inevitably we'd be building something that was American-centric."

Freshii adjusts its menu around the world to fit local tastes a model that Corrin says is influenced by McDonald's global domination. However, ultimately, Corri believes Freshii offers something the old-school fast-food giant lacks.

"I'm not a snotty chef," says Corrin. "I just want good wholesome food... There's a lot of people like that