Business in Vancouver: Vancouver-based Lee's Donuts appoints new president, embarks on expansion
Article from Business in Vancouver:
One of Vancouver's most popular donut shops is getting a new president.
Cameron Jarvis is now president at the 11-location Lee's Donuts chain, which CEO Allan Bacani owns with wife Celine Bacani, the company announced yesterday.
Alan and Betty-Ann Lee launched the business at Granville Island in 1979. Jarvis told BIV that the company's revenue is in the millions, and growing fast. It is seeking a marketing manager as well as other managerial positions, he said.
Jarvis had been senior vice-president of operations for Western Canada at Toronto-based franchisor Mary Brown's Chicken.
He also has experience in executive roles at The Very Good Food Co., Famoso Italian Restaurant + Bar, and Boston Pizza International Inc., he said.
Jarvis expects to oversee significant growth at the donut company that still corporately owns most locations.
Lee's Donuts first gained a franchisee for a store at Willowbrook Mall about 18 months ago, Jarvis said.
Since then, franchised locations have opened in Steveston, the Amazing Brentwood, Tsawwassen Mills and Vancouver International Airport.
Each of those franchises has a separate ownership group, Jarvis said.
Corporately owned stores, in addition to Granville Island are in Gastown, at Bentall Centre in Vancouver and North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale, with pop-up stores at Guildford Town Centre in Surrey and Coquitlam Centre.
One-time fees for franchisees are $45,000, with royalties and a marketing fee adding up to a combined 10 per cent, said Jarvis.
The five separate franchisee ownership groups have each expressed interest in buying a second franchise, he said, adding that the company is also seeking franchise owners across Canada.
"We're actually scouting locations right now," he said, mentioning cities such as Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto. Smaller centres in B.C., such as Kelowna, Kamloops and Salmon Arm, are also possibilities.
In addition to the company's planned franchised expansion, it also intends to launch a new mobile app for customers to order its donuts, access a rewards program and obtain exclusive offers to build loyalty. A newly formed research and development team is also creating new products for catering, fundraising and special events.
“[Jarvis] is an exceptional operator, a team builder, and someone who understands what it means to scale a brand while preserving its heart," Allan Bacani said in a news release.
"We’ve taken our time to assemble the right leadership team for this next phase.”
Jarvis, a longtime Metro Vancouverite, said he sees exposure and awareness as the brand’s greatest opportunities.
“Our job now is to introduce Lee’s to a wider audience, show people who we are, what we stand for, and why the brand means so much to Vancouver,” he said.