Esri Location Analytics to Help Grow Franchise Further

Esri has announced that Great Harvest Bread Company, headquartered in Dillon, Montana, and known for its whole-grain breads and baked goods, is using Esri Location Analytics to help grow its franchise further. A combination of Esri Business Analyst software and Tapestry Segmentation data allows the company and franchisees to quickly perform detailed market analysis that identifies market gaps and profitable potential locations to open new bakeries.

The timeliness of the information that can be gathered is of great help, commented Mike Ferretti, Great Harvest. His company can now easily pull data together, perform the analysis needed and prepare a visual story map that can be shared with decision-makers in minutes. This lets Great Harvest focus on the process of making the business successful rather than compiling and managing data, he added.

More than 220 bakeries in 43 US states are run by franchisees dedicated to the company's mission of providing delicious and nutrient-rich food products to communities. To ensure franchisees are both happy and successful, Great Harvest takes special care to find locations with viable territories that support long-term business success. The Esri platform is an important part of this process at every step.

In addition, Tapestry Segmentation data is used to profile and rank populations that would be supportive of new franchises based on existing customer profiles and behavioural data. Subscriptions to ArcGIS Online and Business Analyst Online, two cloud-based solutions Esri hosts, are used to find and bring the most current data into desktop analyses or on-site at prospective locations.

Great Harvest is a good example of how a small, locally run franchise can adopt and rely on location analytics and GIS to run its business smartly. It helps to build enduring relationships with franchisees and customers, and it delivers on the mission to give back to the community, said Simon Thompson, director of commercial industry at Esri.