Quiznos, the US sandwich chain, plans to open 150 sites across the UK over the next five years, MCA has learnt.
Jack Rai, the master franchisor for the brand in the UK, told MCA the target was to grow from the current five stores to 10 by the end of the year before a rapid rollout in 2017.
He said he was in the process of selling the area development rights for the north of England to a group who planned to open c100 sites across the region and was actively seeking franchise partners for the rest of the country.
The openings in the next few months will include a high street site in Maidstone and the brand’s first petrol station outlet in the UK, in Essex.
Rai, who owns two of the existing UK stores, said the group had spent the past few years refining its offer for the UK market.
Quiznos centres around deli subs and flatbreads and also sells a range of pizzas, salads and soups.
Rai said: “Maybe in the past we were pitching ourselves more at the premium end of the market in terms of price point but we’ve done a lot of work on purchasing. Now we are in the position where we can match the competition on price and beat them on quality.”
He said the brand was able to flex to different locations and could operate from anything from 600 sq ft upwards in high footfall locations.
The 30-year-old brand had over 5,000 stores worldwide at its peak but has shrunk back to 1,500 – drastically cutting back on stores in its US heartland.
