AMBANK GROUP PART FINANCES RM30 MILLION IN BASKIN-ROBBINS ONE-STOP SUPPLY CHAIN CENTRE, SEPANG

DATO' S Y CHEAH fell in love with Baskin-Robbins ice cream when he first tasted it on his honeymoon in the USA. He secured the Master Franchise for Baskin-Robbins for Malaysia and Singapore more than 30 years ago and grew it to more than 150 outlets across the territories. Baskin-Robbins creates and markets innovative premium ice creams and frozen specialty desserts. It is present in more than 50 countries and has about 6,700 retail shops. 

Today, Dato' Cheah's son, Cheah Jia Ming, heads the Singapore/Malaysia Operations as CEO/President of Scoop & Scoopt Pte Ltd and Golden Scoop Sdn Bhd. Jia Ming graduated from the University of Glasgow, UK with a Bachelor of Accountancy with Finance and worked with KPMG before joining his father. Dato's Cheah's daughter, Charmaine Cheah is Deputy CEO and Vice President of the said companies. Charmaine has a BA in  Law and Management Studies, University of Cambridge, UK. 

In the years of carrying on this ice cream franchise business, there were hard times like the Asian Financial Crisis (1997-1998) which bankrupted many businesses. Dato' S Y Cheah said that he loved the Baskin-Robbins brand not only for its amazing ice cream but that in the bad times, Baskin-Robbins as Franchisor, came forward to grant assistance to tie its franchisees over. 
This is probably one of the better stories we have heard on the business of franchises. 

Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion led to the creation of more than 1,000 ice cream flavors and a wide variety of delicious treats. It is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc which also includes Dunkin' Donuts. In December 2020, Inspire Brands Inc, the second largest restaurant group in the USA (has more than 32,000 restaurants worldwide and several top brands) acquired the Dunkin' Brands Group for US$11.3 billion. 

In February 2023 the AmBank Group and Baskin-Robbins jointly announced that it is part-financing a RM30 million investment in Baskin-Robbins' one-stop supply chain centre in Bandar Serenia, Sepang. The investment will consolidate the ice cream brand's storage, manufacturing and distribution functions and expand its capacity beyond its current 150 stores across Malaysia and Singapore.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1. Inspire Stories. 15 Dec 2020. https://stories.inspirebrands.com/inspire-completes-acquisition-dunkin-donuts-baskin-robbins/
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4. The Edge Malaysia. 23 May 2023. Surin Murugaya. https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/655295
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8. The Edge Malaysia. 13 May 2019. City & Country. https://theedgemalaysia.com/content/advertise/serenia-city-strategically-located-and-well-connected 
9. Malaysian Foodie. 29 March 2022. Strawberry Gai. https://www.malaysianfoodie.com/2022/03/celebrate-scoops-of-happiness-this-raya-with-baskin-robbins-and-duck-through-a-curated-series-of-ice-cream-creations-fashion-and-accessories.html
10. Onnet.my. https://onnet.my/baskin-robbins
11. ERP Onnet. Baskin Robbins. http://103.17.209.122:8001/success-stories/baskin-robbins
12. KPMG. Webinar series. Captains' Forum. https://kpmg.com/my/en/home/insights/2020/09/captains-forum-transformation-towards-recovery.html
13. QSR Media. https://qsrmedia.com/promotions/event-news/baskin-robbins-sg-my-ceo-joins-qsr-medias-upcoming-supply-chain-webinar
14. The Ambank Biz chat series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIbxm96KBps