Global speciality ice cream restaurants company Baskin-Robbins has announced plans to expand its Australian store network by over 25 per cent in the coming year, and has appointed a new Marketing Manager.
Baskin-Robbins has appointed Geraldine Van Der Merwe as the new National Marketing Manager, with Ms Van Der Merwe joining the Company in August 2014.
Most recently holding the role of National Marketing Manager for Retail Food Group’s Michel’s Patisserie, Van Der Merwe comes to Baskin-Robbins with almost 20 years’ experience in food retail, quick service restaurants and fast moving consumer goods.
Plans to become ‘Australia’s first choice’ for ice cream
The appointment comes as Baskin-Robbins has announced plans to increase its store network by 25 per cent over the coming year and its ambition to become Australia’s first choice for ice cream.
“Geraldine is an excellent addition to the Baskin-Robbins family,” said David Jordan, General Manager of Baskin-Robbins Australia. “We’re currently in the process of growth and aim to increase our brand presence in existing and new markets,” he said.
“Geraldine’s extensive experience across food and retail will be highly beneficial as we move forward and she will play an important role in helping us achieve our goal to become Australia’s leading ice cream brand,” Mr Jordan said.
Baskin-Robbins is the world’s leading chain of ice-cream speciality restaurants, with nearly 7,000 retail shops in nearly 50 countries. Palm Oasis Ventures Pty (POV) is the Master Franchisor for Baskin-Robbins in Australia with over 78 stores across the nation adding to over 600 stores in the Middle East under the Galadari Brothers umbrella. POV is a joint venture between Galadari Brothers and Dunkin Brands International.
The Galadari Brothers Co. LLC is one of the prominent business groups based out of the United Arab Emirates tracing its birth back to 1961. The Group is owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai and the Galadari family and is engaged in multiple industries such as media, automobiles, food and beverage, trucks and heavy equipment, among others. The Group’s dynamism, innovation and pioneering efforts have been responsible for bringing some of the largest brands to the UAE including Mazda, Baskin-Robbins, JCB, and Khaleej Times. The Group also owns the Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek property and Galadari Hotel Sri Lanka. Galadari Brothers is also the Master Franchisee to Baskin-Robbins in the Middle East and Australia extending its partnership to more than three decades with over 700 stores.
Marketing manager to grow brand awareness
In the role, Ms Van Der Merwe will be responsible for leading the brands national marketing strategy with an immediate focus on growing brand awareness and guest engagement through the relaunch of the Club 31 loyalty program, implementing an online ordering platform, as well as developing strategies to drive local store marketing initiatives to support Franchise Partner growth.
Ms Van Der Merwe replaces Julian Casa who lead marketing for Baskin-Robbins for three years. Casa is pursuing a career change, moving with his family to the Northern Territory.
