Wiggin and Dana's Franchise Law Blog

Done Deal: Tall Stack Gets Taller

The acquisition of Applebee's International Inc. by IHOP Corp. previously reported in this blog (see earlier blog entries) has been completed according to this article. IHOP plans to send ownership of Applebee's company-owned stores back to the neighborhood by franchising 475 of Applebee's 510 company-owned stores to help pay the $1.9 billion purchase price.

More Convenience: BP to Franchise Existing Units

BP plc, the British petroleum company, will create a franchise network for more than 700 of its company-owned convenience stores attached to gasoline stations in the United States according to this article. The stores will operate under the "ampm" brand, which was acquired when BP purchased ARCO (Atlantic Richfield) in 2000.

Do You Want Kimchee With That?

Franchising may be helping to break down the walls of isolation in North Korea, according to this article. Choi Won-ho, president of a company that has franchised 70 Matdaero fried chicken restaurants in South Korea, has received permission to open a restaurant in North Korea in a joint venture with a government-owned firm. Some things in franchising are universal, as the joint venture partner/franchisee negotiates for control of the menu descriptions and brochure fonts.