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Corner Bakery franchises 25 Pa. units to Applebee's operator

DALLAS The Corner Bakery Cafe chain has granted franchise development rights to The Rose Group for 25 restaurants in the greater Philadelphia area. Rose Group, an Applebee's franchisee, agreed to build the bakery-cafes--Corner Bakery's first free-standing franchised units--over the next seven years.

The franchise agreement is the first for Corner Bakery since the chain was acquired last year by Il Fornaio (America) Corp., Corte Madera, Calif.-based operator of the namesake casual Italian chain. Of the 98 Corner Bakery units currently in operation, four are airport locations franchised to HMSHost Corp., and the rest are company owned.

Mike Hislop, Il Forniao's chairman and chief executive, said Corner Bakery plans to add five to six new franchisees each year, with the goal of expanding into new markets. The brand will also continue to open stores in existing markets, particularly California, aiming for 15 percent to 20 percent growth per year.

Rose Group, based in Newtown, Pa., operates 54 Applebee's franchised units, and recently launched a proprietary Irish pub concept called The Shannon Rose in Clifton, N.J. Under the agreement, Rose Group will also take ownership of three company-owned Corner Bakery stores in Philadelphia.

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