Wendy's Milk Bar, formerly known as Wendy's Supa Sundaes, is an Australian ice cream parlour franchise chain consisting of over 200 stores and kiosks. It is owned by parent company Supatreats Australia, headquartered in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales.[1]

Wendy's Milk Bar
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFood and Beverage, Ice cream parlor
Founded31 July 1979; 45 years ago (1979-07-31)
ProductsIce cream, drinks, hot dogs, desserts, and snacks
ParentSupatreats Australia
Websitewww.wendysmilkbar.com

History

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The Wendy's franchise network of ice cream retail stores was founded in Adelaide, South Australia on 31 July 1979[2] by Bruce Koehne, John Hill, Geoff Davis and Phil Rogers. Wendy's has grown from a single store to a large franchise network of over 200 ice-cream stores spread across Australia and New Zealand.[3] In 2014, the Singaporean company Global Food Retail Group acquired the master franchise rights for the chain.[4]

In late 2018, multiple Wendy's Supa Sundaes in New Zealand cancelled their franchise agreements and renamed themselves to Shake Shed & Co. This was over a disagreement about ice cream suppliers, with the Australian Wendy's corporate office preferring an Australian supplier, and the New Zealand–based locations preferring New Zealand–based suppliers.[5][6] In 2018, the High Court of New Zealand ruled that the Shake Shed & Co. stores must shut down. The company went into receivership in 2020.[7]

Meanwhile, Wendy's Supa Sundaes rebranded to "Wendy's Milk Bar", repositioning the brand as a milk bar chain. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, Wendy's restaurants switched to take-away service.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Boaz, Alyse (2006). Marketing in New Zealand. Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-54779-7.
  2. ^ Wendy's Supa Sundaes Pty Ltd. - Company Capsule. Canadean Company Reports. 24 August 2013. ProQuest 1551552008.
  3. ^ Doudle, Chris; Baldwin, Karen (2005). State of Mind: The Success Secrets of 50 South Australian Entrepreneurs. Wakefield Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-86254-684-4.
  4. ^ Yaxley, Louise (24 February 2016). "Businessman who bought Wendy's operated like 'corporate cannibal', Nick Xenophon says". ABC News.
  5. ^ Shaw, Aimee (1 July 2018). "Wendy's Supa Sundaes takes NZ franchisees to court". NZ Herald. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  6. ^ Germann, Stewart (2019). "An Overview of Franchising in New Zealand" (PDF). Franchise Law Journal. 39 (1): 95–112. JSTOR 27172640. ProQuest 2308827845.
  7. ^ Shaw, Aimee (26 July 2023). "Shake Shed & Co in receivership after three-year battle with Wendy's". NZ Herald.

Further reading

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