Brisbane-based caf and bakery franchise, Shingle Inn has its sights firmly set on Western Australia following the opening of its first site at Belmont Forum, Perth in December last year.
There are plans to open another three stores in the Perth suburbs of Innaloo, Ocean Keys and Carousel before the end of the year.
The company’s co-director Andrew Bellchambers believes the West Australian market is a great fit for the brand, and its existing franchisees are evidence of this.
“Our business was built on an ethos of hard work, passion and personality as well as family and tradition which are all inherent traits of West Australians,” he said.
“It’s evident in the way customers have embraced our first store at Belmont Forum as well as how hard our franchisees Vic and Chris have worked to enjoy early success as cafe owners.”
Vic Terpkos and his wife Anne invested in Shingle Inn’s first West Australian store with their daughter and son-in-law Kerrie and Chris Patten.
“We were looking for something new and exciting to bring to the people of WA and found the perfect combination of culture, values and beliefs in Shingle Inn,” said Mr Terpkos.
“The history and tradition of Shingle Inn together with the ‘wow’ factor of store design, products and team training helps us to create a unique community caf experience for our Belmont Forum customers.”
Shingle Inn recently opened new sites at Sydney’s Macquarie Centre and Centro Roselands, and continued expansion along the east coast is scheduled for 2014.
According to Shingle Inn’s website, franchises are currently available in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales (including the Central Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong), the ACT and South Australia.
There are also opportunities in Western Australia, which Bellchambers predicts will be the biggest growth area for the business this year.
“Although we’re expecting to open more stores in Australia’s eastern states this year, I believe Western Australia provides our biggest growth opportunity which is very exciting,” he said