Buyer Plans to Expand Carvel Ice Cream Distribution <b></b>

Farmington, Connecticut-Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital Group, which recently acquired ice cream distributor Carvel, announced its intention to increase its number of food-service locations and franchised stores by more than 50 percent over the next three to five years, while selling Carvel ice cream cakes in at least 50 percent more supermarkets. Carvel currently has over 400 food-service locations and stores, and distributes ice cream cakes in over 5,000 supermarkets, primarily in Florida and the Northeast. Roark will most likely focus expansion on California, the Midwest and the Southeast. -Wall Street Journal