Nakheel is to hold talks with the owners of $4 billion ofits debt as it looks to refinance or restructure borrowing, andhas hired U.S.-based market intelligence firm Ipreo to locatethe bond holders, London-based magazine MEED said last month. “The market is assuming it is looking to restructure thebonds, but this is just one option. I don’t think you canevaluate all options until you know who the bond holder is,”Abdul Kadir Hussain, chief executive of Mashreq Capital, toldReuters last week. Dubai’s Emaar Properties EMAR.DU, the largest-listed UAEdeveloper, has no need for financial support from thegovernment, its chairman Mohamed Alabbar said late last month.(Additional reporting by John Irish; Editing by EricaBillingham). Co-Branded Stores Drive Double-Digit Sales Gains During Test ProgramDURANGO, Colo. & SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(Business Wire)–Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Market: RMCF), whichfranchises gourmet chocolate and confection stores and manufactures an extensiveline of premium chocolates and other confectionery products, and Cold StoneCreamery, which franchises super-premium ice cream stores, today announced theexpansion of the companies` co-branding option to several hundred storesnationwide based on the double-digit sales gains posted by the test stores, todate.

Under the terms of an agreement that was announced in October 2008, the twocompanies agreed to operate a limited number of franchised stores that wereco-branded with both the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and the Cold StoneCreamery brands. The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory concept was integratedinto four Cold Stone Creamery stores and the co-branded locations have beenoperating for the past several months. Based on the double-digit sales gainsposted by these co-branded stores, the two companies have decided to extend andexpand their co-branding agreement beyond the “test” stage. “We have been very pleased with the performance of the four test stores, each ofwhich has enjoyed a significant increase in same-store sales following theintroduction of the co-branding concept,” stated Bryan Merryman, Chief OperatingOfficer of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc.

“This was particularlyencouraging in light of the fact that the tests were conducted during theseasonally slow winter months for Cold Stone Creamery retail locations.” “While several more stores are scheduled to participate in the market test, theimpressive performance of test stores, to date, has prompted Rocky MountainChocolate Factory and Cold Stone Creamery management teams to agree toaccelerate the number of stores that will be converted to the co-branded conceptover the next 12 months,” added Merryman. “Cold Stone Creamery franchiseesoperate nearly 1,400 stores in the U.S., and we believe several hundred could becandidates for co-branding over the next few years.” “The two concepts are highly complementary in terms of reputation, brandawareness and seasonality, and together create the ultimate dessert destination,which has resulted in double-digit sales increases at co-branded stores,” saidDan Beem, President of Cold Stone Creamery. “We see tremendous potential for anextensive co-branding agreement moving forward and literally hundreds of ourfranchisees have expressed interest in being involved.” About Cold Stone CreameryCold Stone Creamery delivers The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience through acommunity of franchisees that are passionate about ice cream. The secret recipefor smooth and creamy ice cream is handcrafted fresh daily in each store, andthen customized by combining a variety of mix-ins on a frozen granite stone.Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Cold Stone Creamery is subsidiary of Kahala,one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world, with a portfolioof 12 quick service restaurant brands.