Little Caesars Pizza is undergoing a significant expansion that will result in 700 new restaurants outside the U.S. in the next three years. A December 9, 1999 company press release confirms that the recent formation of Little Caesars Japan will place 400 units in that country in the next three years. A second agreement means that 300 more stores will open in Latin America.
The pizza chain has been on an aggressive agenda for development in international markets and anticipates doubling its current international 250 restaurant count by the end of 2000 and quadrupling that number by 2003. In markets beyond the U.S., Little Caesars tripled its number of restaurants in the last three years.
“We are building a global brand and are extremely excited about entering Japan, the fourth largest food industry market in the world,” said Harsha V. Agadi, COO for Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. “The key to success for American brands overseas is a strong local partner, and our partners in Japan bring a lot to the table.”
Yoshiaki Tanaka heads LCJ as its CEO. The Tokyo-based company recently opened four Little Caesars restaurants in Niigata and already is planning its next opening. Tanaka, a former senior executive for Citibank, has been successful in developing two other brands—Ford and Citibank—in Japan.
“The emphasis on high quality and service excellence tied directly to good product pricing will propel market development in the months ahead,” said Tanaka. “It is the perfect time in the Japanese economy for the famous Little Caesars concept of “Pizza!Pizza!”
Little Caesars has restaurants in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, South Korea, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, the Philippines, Ecuador, Egypt, Aruba, Iceland, Guatemala, and now Japan.
