NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Up and coming frozen yogurt chain, 16 Handles believes that it has what it takes to be successful in the crowded industry.
Founder and CEO Solomon Choi opened the first store in Manhattan's trendy East Village in 2008. It now has 37 locations across six states through franchising. It plans to more than double that amount by the end of 2014.
16 Handles has some big shoes to fill though. Frozen yogurt sales topped $760 million in 2012 with TCBY, Red Mango and Pinkberry controlling half of the industry, according to IBISWorld.
IBISWorld forecasts that while industry will see 4.2% growth in revenue over the five years between 2012 and 2017, margins are eroding, given the rising cost of milk, consumers' finicky preferences and competition.
Choi is optimistic about the company's prospects. He says 16 Handles was actually the first store to implement the popular self-serve model whereby customers create their own frozen dessert by pulling the "handle" of one of the store's 16 daily flavors. Self-serve models now make up the largest segment of frozen yogurt stores (at just under 40%).
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