The entrance into the Middle Eastern market is the second expansion abroad management has revealed in the last few months. Cold Stone management in November said that it plans to open 105 stores in China and 60 units in Taiwan in the next seven years.
Cold Stone's joint-venture partner in the Middle East is a Dubai-based firm called Apparel Group, which has partnered with such retailers as Athlete's Foot, Kenneth Cole and Nine West for foreign locations. The company operates about 230 stores across the Middle East.
Cold Stone's growth has been explosive since opening its first store here in 1988. The company currently operates about 1,400 units, most of them in the US, as well as locations in Guam, Japan, Puerto Rico and South Korea.
In December, Cold Stone formed a marketing agreement with theme-park operator Six Flags to carry its ice cream in locations across the country.
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