Rank no.128-Coffee News-USA
Top 250 Franchise by Entrepreneur-Rank no.128-Coffee News-USA
Products & Services: Weekly newspaper distributed at restaurants
Number of Locations: 888
Total Investment: $9.43K – 10.43K
Founded: 1988
Began Franchising: 1994
About Coffee News
Coffee News was started by Jean Daum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1988. She began franchising in 1994. In 1995, Bill Buckley became the first U.S. franchisee. He bought the company from Daum in 2008, and Coffee News is now based in his home in Bangor, Maine. Coffee News is a free weekly publication distributed in restaurants, coffee shops and hotels. In addition to ads for local businesses, it contains news stories, jokes, trivia and horoscopes.
Franchise Units
| Year | U.S. | Canadian | International | Company Owned |
| 2013 | 541 | 197 | 146 | 4 |
| 2012 | 544 | 197 | 146 | 0 |
| 2011 | 593 | 206 | 206 | 0 |
| 2010 | 677 | 199 | 242 | 0 |
| 2009 | 724 | 164 | 184 | 0 |
Startup Costs, Ongoing Fees and Financing
Total Investment: $9,425 – $10,425
Franchise Fee: $8,500
Ongoing Royalty Fee: $25-80/wk.
Term of Franchise Agreement: 4 years, renewable
How This Franchise Supports Franchisees
Franchise Ranking History
Coffee News is a weekly advertising publication that features good news and other fun, positive items. Created by Jean Daum, it began in 1988 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and is available across the United States and worldwide. Its slogan is “News To Enjoy Over Coffee” and, as such, is delivered to restaurants, coffee shops, bars, pubs, and other small businesses.
Coffee News is a single sheet, double-sided publication, on tan paper, provided free to establishments.
Coffee News is the world’s largest restaurant publication, and also the world’s largest franchise publication.
Marketing model
Coffee News is a franchise business. Identical content is sent to franchisees in each territory, who fill the margins with advertisements from local businesses and distribute copies to participating restaurants for free. The marketing model is based on selling advertising to local businesses, who would be less likely to purchase advertising in broadly circulated publications due to higher costs and the cost inefficiency of marketing to readers who are geographically unlikely to become customers.
Franchise information
| YEAR | U.S. | CANADIAN | INTERNATIONAL | COMPANY OWNED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 593 | 206 | 206 | 0 |
| 2010 | 677 | 199 | 242 | 0 |
| 2009 | 724 | 164 | 184 | 0 |
| 2008 | 799 | 157 | 186 | 0 |
It is quite common for franchisees to own multiple franchises (licenses) with the average franchisee owning 3 licensed territories; no more than 20 licenses per any family or relative is allowed.
Sections
Everybody’s Talking!
This section features news stories from around the world. This section usually contains 4 short paragraphs, briefly summarizing the topic.
Quoteable Quotes
This section contains quotes from various authors. There are usually 2-4 quotes in this section. The misspelling of the title (Quoteable) of this section is on-purpose, and part of the publication’s trademark.
What’s Happening
The “What’s Happening” section is filled with local events, with emphasis on community service or non-profit organizations.
Trivia
This section contains 5 trivia questions based on general topics such as pop culture, sports, and literature. The answers are revealed on the other side of the page.
Your Weekly Horoscope
This section features horoscopes for all zodiac signs. It also gives lucky numbers for the week.
Did You Know . . .
This section contains facts about general topics like actors, landmarks, animals, and other topics. Did You Know . . . contains 4 facts.
On The Lighter Side
This section features ideas that may not be thought about often, but can be very true, for example:
| “ | People have one thing in common — they are all different. | ” |
