Posted:29-January-2015
The SUBWAY brand celebrates its 2,000th store opening in the UK and Ireland
The SUBWAY® brand is today celebrating the opening of its 2,000th store in the UK and Ireland, with a new store in the Jarman Leisure Park in Hemel Hempstead.
The milestone opening highlights the more than £200m investment that SUBWAY® franchisees contribute to their local economies, alongside providing over 20,000 jobs in stores across the UK and Ireland.
As the largest Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brand worldwide – there are more than 43,000 SUBWAY® stores in over 105 countries – the continued expansion of the brand in the UK and Ireland has seen over 260 stores open in the last 12 months. That’s an average of five stores opening every week.
All SUBWAY® stores are owned by local businesspeople who operate their stores on a franchise basis. The franchisee of the Hemel Hempstead store is Christopher Seymour, he, like many other SUBWAY® franchisees worldwide, enjoys support from the brand in all aspects of development and store opening.
One of the largest areas of growth for the SUBWAY® brand currently is the development of stores in non-traditional locations, such as on forecourt sites, within convenience stores, universities and hospitals. Partnerships with organisations including Welcome Break, Euro Garages, Applegreen and Sodexo have helped the brand to open more than 430 non-traditional locations in the UK and Ireland.
Greg Madigan, Area Development Manager for SUBWAY® UK and Ireland, commented: “The level of growth that the brand has experienced in the UK and Ireland is a fantastic achievement. It reflects the entrepreneurial spirit of SUBWAY® franchisees and development agents, together with the power and support of the global SUBWAY® brand.
“Opening the 2,000th store in Hemel Hempstead today is an exciting milestone for everyone involved in the SUBWAY® brand in the UK and Ireland, and I am very proud of their achievements. What’s more, we have a strong pipeline of stores opening throughout 2015 in a variety of locations from high street to popular non-traditional locations.”
Christopher Seymour, franchisee of the 2,000th SUBWAY® store in the UK and Ireland, commented: “It feels fantastic to have opened the 2,000th SUBWAY® store in the UK and Ireland. It’s a great honour to be a part of such a big franchise, and I’m delighted that I’ve been able to contribute to its success. I’ve worked with the SUBWAY® brand for over 12 years now – my entire career – so my business has really grown with the brand. Hemel Hempstead is my 12th store, and I have another three in the pipeline for this year – it really is a great time to be part of the SUBWAY® brand family.”
The UK and Ireland is the SUBWAY® brand’s third largest market, behind the US and Canada. In all, there are more than 15,000 international locations in over 105 countries outside of the US, with over 4,500 stores across Europe.
One of the key reasons to the success of the SUBWAY® brand is the support network and robust processes available to franchisees. Regional development agents and business consultants assist and mentor franchisees with site selection, leasing, design, construction, hands-on training, purchasing, operations, advertising, local store marketing and more. The support available to all franchisees has proved to be very successful with many franchisees investing in more than one franchise and becoming multi-store owners.
Over 70% of all new SUBWAY® franchises sold worldwide are sold to existing owners, a testament to the strength of the brand and the solid support offered to franchisees.
The SUBWAY® brand is a committed partner to the UK Government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal, and the only QSR to have endorsed all eight nutrition-related pledges.
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