Chicago-based company Potbelly Sandwich Shop, one of the leading fast-casual brands in the U.S., with nearly 400 sites, will debut in the UK at “The Street” in Westfield Stratford Shopping Centre this summer.
Potbelly Franchising, LLC has signed a master franchise agreement with Buraq Retail (Potbelly) Ltd, a company backed by Sheikh Holdings, to open a 1,870 sq ft , 90-cover site in Westfield Stratford City.
Rapid international expansion
The iconic Chicago fast-casual brand, which is famous for its freshly prepared hot, toasted sandwiches, made-to-order salads and daily baked cookies, is entering a period of rapid international expansion led by Aylwin Lewis, former CEO of Sears Holdings and previously President of Yum! Brands. Potbelly and Buraq Retail plan to open 10 London stores in the next 5 years, within high footfall locations across high streets, shopping centres and transport hubs.
CEO Aylwin Lewis said: “Potbelly is continuing our international growth alongside our consistent US expansion of between 48 and 55 new units per year. We’re hugely excited to be bringing our legendary sandwiches to the UK for the first time. It’s a market we’ve been watching closely and Sheikh Holdings are the perfect partners to represent the brand going forward in the UK.”
Excitement for London’s sandwich market
Buraq Retail Executive Gibran Khan, added: “The time is right to inject some excitement into London’s competitive but stagnant sandwich market, and in our opinion there is no better brand than Potbelly to fill this gap.”
The Potbelly experience
Potbelly will sell hot, toasted sandwiches with classic American combinations, authentic soups and bespoke salads, with all ingredients sourced locally. Potbelly will introduce some new sandwiches for the British market, as well as their famous cookies and hand-dipped milkshakes. Potbelly will open from breakfast till evening and will have local musicians performing live during the day, which has been a defining part of the Potbelly experience since it first opened in 1977.
About Potbelly
- Potbelly was founded in 1977 by Peter Hastings in Chicago. The original store previously sold antiques including Potbelly Stoves and the young couple that owned it started to serve lunch to their customers. Serving simple sandwiches in a unique setting caused a local stir with queues reaching out the door. In 1996, entrepreneur Bryant Keil bought the store and together with his team rolled out Potbelly across the country, creating stores with the same neighbourhood feel as the original.
- Potbelly is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
- Potbelly expanded into the Middle East with the Alshaya Group in 2012, where it operates a dozen franchise stores in Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
- Sheikh Holdings and its Family Office have global investments of c£200m in property, healthcare, restaurants, pharmaceuticals, FMCG and financial management.
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