Pecan Jacks plans Panama City Beach store and franchise training hub

Pecan Jacks will open a new corporate image store and training facility in Panama City Beach, Florida, this October as the ice cream and candy brand expands across 10 states. The larger location will double as a franchise training site and flavor development lab while the company closes its original Santa Rosa Beach store after 10 summers.

Why it matters: - Pecan Jacks is using the new Panama City Beach location to support two growth goals at once: a refreshed customer-facing store and a training base for future franchisees. - The larger footprint gives the brand room to showcase its latest store design as it expands into more communities. - The move also keeps new product development and franchise support in one place, which can help standardize the brand as it scales.

What happened: - Pecan Jacks will open a new corporate image and training store in October at Vintage Lake Powell, 24202 PCB Parkway, Suite 3, Panama City Beach, Florida 32413. - The opening comes as Pecan Jacks grows across 10 states. - The new location will span more than 1,400 square feet. - The company’s original Florida store in Santa Rosa Beach on 30A will close after 10 summers. - The Santa Rosa Beach closure follows a change in ownership of the building it occupies.

The details: - The Panama City Beach store replaces the original Florida location’s roughly 900-square-foot footprint with a larger space. - Guests will have more room to enjoy Pecan Jacks’ ice cream and handcrafted sweets. - Future franchisees will be able to see a working example of the store format they could open in their own markets. - The Panama City Beach site will serve as the training and development facility for Pecan Jacks Franchising. - Franchisees will train in the store and learn how the team prepares products and creates the guest experience. - A taste lab at the location will give the Pecan Jacks team space to develop new ice cream and candy flavors. - Veronica “Ronnie” Wyatt, co-founder and chief operating officer, said the new store will let future franchisees experience the design, products and guest welcome in a real-world setting. - Tim Wyatt, co-founder and vice president, said the company is thankful for the Santa Rosa Beach customers who supported the store for 10 summers. - Cory Mosley, vice president of growth, said the new store gives franchisees a chance to see the experience they are preparing to create and gives the team a home for training and new flavors.

Between the lines: - Pecan Jacks is signaling that physical stores are now part showroom, part classroom and part product lab. - That approach can make franchise sales easier because prospects can see the brand standard before opening their own location. - Closing the Santa Rosa Beach shop also shows the brand is shifting from its original home base into a larger, more scalable format.

What's next: - Pecan Jacks will open the Panama City Beach location in October. - Franchise training will move into the new store once it opens. - The team will also use the taste lab to keep developing new flavors for future launches. - The company’s expansion across 10 states suggests more growth and more franchise development ahead.