CKE Restaurants has announced a partnership with Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited to build and operate Carl’s Jr. restaurants in New Zealand, adding to Restaurant Brands’ current stable of KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks Coffee businesses.
Under the terms of the development agreement with CKE, Restaurant Brands has the exclusive development rights to build restaurants in New Zealand, complementing the existing franchisee Forsgren NZ Limited’s development rights to build a limited number of restaurants in Auckland. Restaurant Brands is familiar with these shared arrangements working with independent franchisees in its other brands.
“Achieving scale and growth within a country is a key to success, so we are very pleased to partner with experienced operators like Restaurant Brands,” said Andy Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants. “They understand the value of building strong brands, and have a track record to prove it.”
Russel Creedy, CEO of Restaurant Brands, knows that New Zealand’s discerning consumers have a huge appetite for the best-in-class, premium-quality burgers from Carl’s Jr., adding, “The made-fresh-to-order products, partial table service, all-you-can-drink beverages and the best quality product in our segment are unparalleled in the quick-service category.”
Restaurant Brands plans to open its first Carl’s Jr. restaurant by mid-year 2012 with additional restaurant openings targeted by the end of their next financial year.
“We’re excited to build on the success we have already established in the market with our first two Carl’s Jr. restaurants,” said Ned Lyerly, executive vice president of CKE’s international group. ”We’ve received terrific response from satisfied guests in Auckland and look forward to bringing Carl’s Jr. fare to guests across New Zealand.”
CKE’s restaurant network has expanded to 3,219 restaurants with annual sales of US$ 3.4 billion. CKE continues to place a major emphasis on expanding its international operations, with more than 400 restaurants in Mexico, the Middle East, Asia, Russia and Latin America.
