Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., an Atlanta-based chicken chain formerly known as AFC Enterprises Inc., reiterated its plans to open 85 to 95 stores internationally this year, continuing a rapid pace of expansion outside U.S. borders.
The company opened 80 international stores during 2014, compared to 121 domestically.
Now, Popeyes’ 521 international locations make up more than one-fifth of the total 2,420, and foreign locations have posted eight straight years of same-store growth. In 2014, international franchises accounted for 10 percent of the company’s overall franchise revenues.
According to the company’s 2014 year-end report, the company is building its global brand by partnering with growth-oriented franchisees, targeting prime real estate and adopting locally appropriate advertising campaigns.
“We believe that market success depends on strong brand awareness, which is deeply influenced by restaurant location. Our goal is to increase our global market share by building high-volume restaurants on the best sites adjacent to current markets or high-potential countries. Around the world, the untapped opportunity is vast,” the report reads.
Global Atlanta witnessed this last summer in Singapore, where a mall location offered family delivery specials for Ramadan, and in Vietnam, where a restaurant just off a popular square targeted younger consumers.
The company’s Lousiana flavors can be found in 26 countries, and it’s looking for franchisees in the Americas, Central and Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.
