Auntie Anne’s
Financial Plan
Liquid capital
The amount you need to secure the necessary loans.
Total investment
Total Investment to launch the business, including initial fees (Not disclosed)
The Concept
- Year of creation
- 2008
The UK's largest soft pretzel franchise, hand-rolled and baked in store throughout the day.
An Auntie Anne’s franchise is the UK’s largest soft pretzel opportunity, and all but one of its stores are franchisee-owned.
The brand began in 1988, when Anne and Jonas Beiler bought a market stand at the farmers’ market in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and settled on a softer, sweeter recipe after the original pretzels failed to sell. Franchising followed in 1989.
The chain now rolls, twists and bakes more than 150 million pretzels a year from over 1,800 stores worldwide, under the ownership of the multi-brand food group GoTo Foods. It has franchised in the UK since 2008 and trades from close to 50 stores, from Glasgow to Belfast to London, having opened 15 sites in the past two years and served more than 2.2 million customers.
Every pretzel is made from scratch in store and sold within 30 minutes of leaving the oven, with nothing pre-made or frozen.
Why Choose the Franchise Auntie Anne’s?
This is an owner-operator franchise. The role is hands-on, making and baking through the day while managing stock and a team of up to four full-time and six part-time staff. Auntie Anne’s describes a turnkey package covering site selection, design and construction, operational training, an integrated supply chain and ongoing support, with all food, packaging and smallwares ordered online through a single route. Training runs in two parts: three days of business instruction at head office, then hands-on work at the Auntie Anne’s training centre, followed by support from the training and operations team at the store opening.
The bfa lists a start-up cost of £115,000. Stores sit in shopping centre kiosks, high streets and travel hubs, including a first railway site at Brighton Station and a first UK airport location at London Luton. Auntie Anne’s has been a bfa member since 2013 and holds Expanding Member status. It plans at least 10 new sites across the UK and Ireland over the coming year, part of a stated strategy to open 100 new stores by 2034, with like-for-like sales reported as trending above 10% year on year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an individual open an Auntie Anne's franchise?
Yes. This is an owner-operator franchise, and the franchisor is explicit that the role is hands-on: making and baking pretzels through the day while running stock and a team of up to four full-time and six part-time staff. Several existing franchisees have gone on to run multiple locations.
Where do Auntie Anne's stores trade?
Shopping centre kiosks, high streets and travel hubs. Recent openings include Camberley, Basingstoke and Guildford, alongside a first railway travel hub at Brighton Station and a first UK airport site at London Luton. The brand operates in Glasgow, Belfast and London among others.
How fast is Auntie Anne's growing in the UK?
It opened 15 sites in two years, plans at least 10 more across the UK and Ireland in the coming year, and has stated a target of 100 new stores by 2034. Like-for-like sales are reported as trending above 10% year on year.
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