The New Model
Kilwins, the Michigan-based premium confectionery and ice cream franchise, has unveiled Kilwins Select, a smaller-footprint franchise tier designed to lower the capital barrier to brand entry as the chain nears 200 open-and-operating locations across the United States. The announcement, made October 21, signals a deliberate push to accelerate unit growth by widening the pool of viable franchise candidates without altering the brand's core product standards.
The Kilwins Select format features a reduced store footprint, a simplified build-out process, and a curated assortment concentrated on the chain's top-performing confections and gift items. The company says the streamlined design supports a faster path from lease execution to opening day and offers greater real estate flexibility — factors that position the format for high-traffic retail corridors, travel venues, and lifestyle centers where a full-line Kilwins store may not be economically or physically practical.
Growth Rationale
"Kilwins Select represents the next evolution of our franchise opportunity," said Brian Britton, president and CEO of Kilwins. "We've created a model that allows more aspiring business owners to join our system without compromising the craftsmanship, hospitality and brand standards that have defined Kilwins for generations." The company declined to disclose specific investment ranges or square-footage parameters in the announcement.
The timing reflects broader franchise-industry dynamics. Across foodservice and specialty retail, brands have increasingly introduced tiered or non-traditional formats to sustain unit growth in an environment of elevated construction costs and tightening retail real estate. Kilwins Select locations can operate as standalone units or coexist alongside full-line stores within the same market — a dual-format strategy that mirrors moves by other experiential retail concepts in the confectionery and frozen-dessert categories. The chain has ranked first in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 candy, ice cream, and frozen-dessert category for 10 consecutive years, lending franchise recruitment credibility as it courts new operators.
Operator Profile and Support
Kilwins is positioning the Select tier for both first-time franchise owners and seasoned multi-unit operators seeking a lower-cost entry point into the brand's system. All franchisees under the new model will receive the same support infrastructure as traditional Kilwins partners — covering site selection, design and construction guidance, training, marketing, and ongoing operational support. That parity in support structure is a key selling point for operators evaluating whether a lower-investment format sacrifices the brand-development resources that help units reach profitability. For more on confectionery and dessert franchise trends, see our coverage of specialty food retail expansion and franchise development in foodservice.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
