BOULDER - Baskin-Robbins, an ice cream franchise, will open 60 stores in Colorado during the next three years including six in Boulder County.

James Franks, national director of franchising for Baskin-Robbins, said the company is hoping to open its first store in Boulder "within the next 12 months." He would not disclose the location.

"The people who live in Boulder and the university show us that it is a good place for a Baskin-Robbins," he said.

The company is hoping to have one franchisee in charge of the six stores in Boulder County, and it wants the franchisee to live in the area. Franks said there may be two in Boulder, one "for sure" in the Longmont area, and the rest will be in "traditional neighborhood areas" within the county.

Baskin-Robbins, owned by Dunkin' Brands Inc., will lease space and build new restaurants in the area, but Franks did not disclose the exact breakdown. He said there also will be Baskin-Robbins' kiosks in local malls, but those do not count toward the six locations in the area.

The company currently has one franchise in the area at 1387 E. South Boulder Road, Unit F, in Louisville.