The Cheesecake Shop Port Macquarie hasreached the highest sales figures for an opening week in the brand’s 33-year history, with franchise partner, Chris Wood crediting the benefits of community engagement and connection.

With the shop enjoying a record opening week when it opened last month, owners, Chris and Adriana Wood have cemented their presence in the local community.

Chris is an experienced franchise owner, working his way up from a Domino’s delivery driver to being awarded Franchise Manager of the Year in Australasia with the business, as well as owning a gym and building development business.

He said the positive reception and strong sales were ‘the icing on the cake’ ahead of the strategic operational lead-up to the new store opening.

“In preparation, we ran a lengthy recruitment drive to ensure we had the right people to run the store effectively, which generated more than 300 applications,” Wood said.

“We also focused our attention on extensive local area marketing initiatives to generate buzz and awareness within the community. We are thrilled to be embraced so wholeheartedly in Port Macquarie and look forward to being a part of many memorable milestone events and celebrations to come.”

The Cheesecake Shop Port Macquarie is the first regional store with the company’s rebrand and reimagined shop layout. It follows four openings in 18 months with stores in Dubbo, Griffith, Queanbeyan and Nowra (NSW), Geraldton and Albany (WA), and Mount Barker (SA) on the horizon.

Starting as a family-owned cake shop in Sydney in 1991, the franchise has grown to more than 240 stores across Australasia, including 47 regional stores in Australia and 10 in New Zealand.

The Cheesecake Shop CEO, Scott Bush highlighted the strong connection between small businesses and regional communities and the importance of supporting franchise partners who in turn hire and inspire locals.

“The Port Macquarie store is an exciting brand evolution, marking a new chapter for the local community and small businesses with the highest opening week sales in our history in just five days,”he said.

“We are particularly excited to welcome Chris and Adriana to The Cheesecake Shop family as our newest franchise partners whose entrepreneurial spirit and passion align perfectly with our brand values. Our skilled franchise partners are the number one ingredient who drive our success and help communities celebrate and create sweet memories.”