STOPPRESS
Canadian Pita Pit debuts in Manchester
A husband-and-wife team behind a £7million franchise operations business will open the first outlet in the UK for Pita Pit, a healthy takeaway food franchise from Canada. Simon and Tracy Vardy will open the first British branch of Pita Pit in Manchester city centre. The couple already operate 17 Costa Coffee franchises through their Altrincham-based Sim Trava business, which employs 140 people. Pita Pit was founded in Canada in 1995 and
there are now 430 outlets in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, France and Brazil. The unit being opened by the Vardys is in Manchester’s Piccadilly Place and will initially create seven jobs when it launches in October. The pair, who live in Altrincham, have signed up to launch a total of 25 outlets on top of
Dunkin’ Donuts announces entry into UK
Dunkin’ Donuts, one of the world’s leading coffee and baked goods chains, today announced that it has signed agreements with two franchise groups to begin developing Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the United Kingdom. The two agreements call for the development of 50 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in Greater London over the next five years, with an initial focus on North London and East London. The chain is also in advanced discussions with additional franchise partners to help develop a total of 150 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the UK over the next five years, which includes the two signed agreements. The Court Group, chaired by UK businessman David Sheepshanks, CBE, has signed a franchise agreement with Dunkin’
Donuts to open 25 restaurants in East London over the next five years. Dunkin’ Donuts currently has more than 10,500 restaurants in 31 countries around the world, including more than 100 locations across Europe in Bulgaria, Germany, Russia and Spain. Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the UK will feature the brand’s wide range of coffees, teas, espresso-based beverages, ‘coolatta’ frozen drinks, donuts, muffins, croissants and sandwiches. The brand will also offer regional menu items specific to the UK to cater to local tastes. Dunkin’ Donuts’ sister brand, Baskin- Robbins, currently has 100 locations in the UK, including freestanding restaurants as well as concession locations in other shops and cinemas.
their plans to open a further five Costa sites by 2015. They anticipate that the addition of the coffee shops will take their annual sales from £7million to £9million, while their Pita Pit plans have the potential to increase revenues by up to £10million a year once the roll-out is complete. The brand’s motto is ‘fresh thinking and healthy eating’, and supplies made-to-order pita wraps that are low in salt, carbohydrates and calories. Mr Vardy, who left a six-figure-salary engineering role to launch Sim Trava in 2005, said: “We believe in Pita Pit and are excited to be involved in the company’s expansion plans. It will hopefully be a really good addition to Manchester’s food scene and it is great that the first branch will be opening in the city.”
Simon Dalziel and Lisa and Paul Tarsey
Interim HealthCare goes global
Interim HealthCare, a national network of home care, hospice and health staffing franchises founded in 1966 in the States, where it is known for its continuum of care, has expanded with the acquisition of UK-based Bluebird Care franchises. Founded in 2004, Bluebird Care, headquartered in Hampshire, has more than 180 franchise operations, providing non-medical care services throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The announcement increases Interim HealthCare’s global presence to approximately 500 locations and 250 franchise owner groups in six countries, for a combined network sales of more than $850million.
“Last fall, we announced we intended to
explore international expansion as one of our high-priority growth opportunities,” said Kathleen Gilmartin, president and CEO of Interim HealthCare. “Bluebird Care mirrors our mission and core values with a solid culture of care and a scalable business model delivered by a strong network of franchisees. We are very excited about our future together.” Kathleen says Interim HealthCare Inc and
Bluebird Care will continue to operate as separate entities, each under their own brand names, in their respective countries. Each company will continue to operate with their leadership teams to drive their initiatives and growth strategies. Bluebird Care founders, Paul and Lisa Tarsey, and Simon Dalziel, who joined the company in 2006 to lead franchise development, will continue in leadership roles in the company. “Our growth has been aggressive since we began franchising in 2006,” said Paul Tarsey, Bluebird Care founder and managing director. “We are very excited by this strategic partnership with such an experienced healthcare franchisor as Interim. Bluebird Care will now have access to knowledge and shared best practices in care delivery, training, marketing and financial benchmarks, to fuel innovation and improve efficiencies in both brands.”
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