Church’s Chicken recently entered into a partnership with NAI Global, a leader in retail real estate services for commercial and corporate businesses. NAI will provide the brand with corporate real estate services by lending expertise in site selection for company and franchise development.
The team at NAI Global will work in tandem with Church’s franchise development team to assist franchisees in locating new store sites for either the conversion of existing buildings or the construction of new restaurants.
“Our franchisees are highly dedicated to future growth, and our team wants to enable their success by offering assistance that expedites the site selection process,” says Doug Pendergast, executive vice president and chief franchise officer for Church’s. “NAI Global supports our endeavors to efficiently and strategically grow the brand in optimal neighborhoods within our target markets, and this partnership allows our franchisees to focus more on opening new stores and generating revenue.”
According to Pendergast, NAI Global will generate tailored recommendations and services that will allow the brand to benefit from time saved during the acquisition of real estate, based on a clear understanding of Church’s franchise development goals.
“As one of the largest commercial real estate service providers in the world, NAI Global offers insight into local, regional, and national markets,” says Chuck White, CEO of NAI Commercial Jacksonville. “Because we have offices in most of the 50 states as well as internationally, we have been able to use our market knowledge in identifying qualified sites, so Church’s can focus on new store investment returns and existing store operations. In turn, we happily add Church’s to our client portfolio, as it is a popular brand experiencing an incredible growth spurt.”
In 2007, Church’s set a company record for total restaurant openings in a single year. The brand opened 59 restaurants in the U.S. and 40 restaurants internationally, and added 12 new domestic franchisees in the process.
