The company bringing Potbelly, the US sandwich chain, to the UK will look at national expansion if its initial sites in London are a success, M&C Report has learnt.
Potbelly Franchising confirmed yesterday that it has signed a master franchise agreement with Buraq Retail (Potbelly) Ltd, a company backed by Sheikh Holdings, to open a 1,870 sq ft, 90-cover site in Westfield Stratford City, as revealed in M&C Report last month.
The company has said its initial target is to have ten sites in London within the next five years.
Sheikh Holdings Ddirector Akbar Sheikh told M&C Report he believed the brand could have the same impact in the UK as it has had in America, where it has nearly 400 sites.
He said: “It’s been a hugely successful model in the States and in Britain right now there is a real passion for Americanisation, which you can see with the success of things like Five Guys
“We will be staying faithful to the concept but what we have done is tweak the menu for the UK market. There will be new and improved items but with the staples that have made the brand so well loved. The interiors will also be a little different. We will be emphasising the heritage of the company but we’ll also be trying to reflect something about the local area.
“It has definitely got potential nationally. We feel we want to conquer the London market first and we will be targeting high footfall sites.
“After that key cities around the country is definitely something we would look at. This is not a brand that is going to be on every high street – it’s a premium brand – but it has a lot of potential.”
