How would you define your brand? Pizza Capers' healthier, higher quality pizza topped with premium gourmet ingredients offers a real point of difference. We focus on providing the highest quality menu items in the pizza industry and that means using only the best produce available. Our pizzas, pastas and salads are topped with olives from Greece, pizza sauce from Italy, meats from local producers, and fruit and vegetables fresh from the markets.
How old is the company and when did you start franchising?The
take away franchise company is 12 years old and we started franchising in 2005.
How many franchises do you have?We have 29
fast food franchises.
How are you going to grow the business in 2008?This year we will be forging ahead with
pizza franchise store growth in the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and North Queensland regions and in 2009 we aim to expand further south to Sydney and Melbourne. We plan to operate a network of 49 stores by the end of 2008.
Demand from existing franchisees to open a second and even third store will provide a strong platform to propel the company's growth in Brisbane but our biggest challenge will be finding the right locations for new stores. We actually have a waiting list of new franchisees to open new stores but we need to be sure our store locations meet our high standards.
We don't want to open a new location just to increase our store network.
Where do you expect the business to be in 2010?
By 2010, Pizza Capers aims to have expanded on a national scale, with stores in every state in Australia and with multiple stores in every major city. Our corporate stores will grow along the way but the majority of growth will come from franchisees in these new areas. The plan is to have 192 stores under the Pizza Capers brand by 2010.
What do you expect from a franchisee?We expect a winning attitude, for the franchisee to treat every customer like a member of their own family, and a commitment to delivering old fashioned customer service and a great product.
As a franchisor, we are seen by our franchisees as getting the job done with a minimum of fuss and having a fun working environment. We want to give back to our franchisees in every way we can, whether it's through supplier rebates or purchasing large scale infrastructure for all stores to help keep the Pizza Capers brand fresh and appealing.
What are the start-up costs for a franchisee and what working capital should they have?For about $250,000 we can set-up a shop that the franchisee can basically walk into and start trading in immediately.
What is the length of agreement?Five years with an option to renew for another five years.
What sort of hours will the franchisee have to work to get the business established and how long should that take?
Our store fit-out procedure ensures our franchisees are operational from day one. Like any other successful business the more time and effort you put in, the bigger the rewards.
Almost 80 per cent of our current franchisees own second stores or are in negotiations to open a second store so it is a relatively quick process to establish additional outlets. One of our franchisees has established two stores and is on track to open a third store all within a 10 month timeframe.
15-Oct-2008