Baguette Express to rapidly grow Manchester franchises
SANDWICH chain Baguette Express has said it is to embark on a major expansion which could bring up to 750 jobs to the Greater Manchester area within the next five years.
The chain has taken on two entrepreneurs as master franchisees for the Greater Manchester area, who plan to open 30 new outlets, with each employing around 10 staff.
The long term target would be to open around 50 shops in the area, the company said.
Graeme Carson, 30, and Craig Houston, 32, already operate three outlets in Scotland and recently opened a Baguette Express store in Manchester’s Mosley Street.
They are now getting ready to open more outlets in the Stockport and Bury areas.
Mr Houston said: “Greater Manchester is a lively and dynamic part of the UK which is ideally suited to the Baguette Express model of providing high quality, reasonably priced, healthy food in areas where there is a high and consistent footfall.
“Our Mosley Street branch is in an office district and we have been concentrating on the lunchtime trade, but demand has dictated that we branch out into the breakfast and afternoon markets as well.”
The pair plan to open their stores within an area bounded by the M6 in the west, the Pennines in the east, Bolton, Bury and Rochdale in the north and Manchester Airport and Knutsford and Hazelgrove in the south.
Immediate target towns include Stockport, Sale, Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Rochdale and Ashton-under-Lyne.
The two businessmen say they have already identified numerous potential franchisees at major trade exhibitions and will lead the expansion strategy as well as overseeing business development.
