Scoopjoe, an ice cream brand in Wisconsin, has ten other outlets in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. As part of the agreement between Scoopjoe's main outlet and the other outlets, the former not only supplies raw materials to the latter but also provides help with site selection, training of staff, and finance. The given scenario exemplifies a:

A. sole proprietorship.
B. distributorship.
C. business format franchise.
D. conglomerate merger.