Panera Bread Co. (Nasdaq: PNRA) announced today it
has signed an agreement with Bill Walsh and Dale Wiggins,
a new franchise partnership, to develop a total of 22 new
Panera Bread bakery-cafes in Palm Beach and Broward counties,
Fla. The first store is scheduled to open by the end of
2001.
Walsh and Wiggins are partners in the Daland Corporation.
Formed in 1976, the corporation owns and operates 108 Pizza
Hut stores in 13 states.
Panera Bread also reported it has expanded the agreements
of two existing franchise partnerships, Randy Simon and
Howard Wilkins, and Jim Magers and Jay Burchfield. Magers
and Simon are, respectively, the first two franchisees of
Panera Bread (nee Saint Louis Bread Co.).
Simon and Wilkins have completed their original development
schedule in Kansas and Kansas City, Mo., and have agreed
to open 10 more bakery-cafes in the same territory for a
total of 22 stores. Their next bakery-cafe is scheduled
to open by year’s end.
Magers and Burchfield have added two bakery-cafes to their
existing development schedule in Oklahoma City, Okla. They
currently operate three stores in this market and have committed
to opening a total of four new stores by the end of 2002.
Magers and Burchfield also operate four bakery-cafes in
the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Tex. market, with plans to open an
additional eight stores. In addition, Magers operates 12
bakery-cafes in Springfield, Mo., Fayetteville, Ariz. and
Tulsa, Okla.
Separately, the company announced the opening of its 250th
bakery-cafe. The new store was opened in Mequon, Wis., by
existing franchisee, John Golinvaux on November 17, 2000.
Including the Mequon opening, Golinvaux owns and operates
six bakery-cafes in Wisconsin. He has a commitment to open
an additional ten stores for a total of 16.
Golinvaux recently received the Panera Bread 2000 Featured
Franchisee Award for operational excellence and outstanding
management. The award recognizes Golinvaux’s exceptional
leadership abilities in staff management and development,
pace-setting customer service, and operational effectiveness.
Ron Shaich, Panera Bread chairman and chief executive officer,
said, “The signing of Bill Walsh and Dale Wiggins is consistent
with our strategy to sign quality, experienced franchisees
that will expand our market share in key territories nationwide.
Just as significant is the confidence Randy Simon, Howard
Wilkins, Jim Magers, Jay Burchfield and their partners displayed
by fulfilling their original commitments and re-signing
to build even more bakery-cafes. The fact that our most
seasoned franchisees are committing to new growth is a positive
indicator for our future development. Our successful growth
strategy is also reflected in the recent opening of our
250th bakery-cafe. This significant achievement is a testament
to the dedication of our franchisees and team members.”
Panera Bread intends to release its fourth quarter comparable
bakery-cafe sales and final development results for 2000
on Friday, January 12.
Panera Bread owns and franchises bakery-cafes under the
Panera Bread and Saint Louis Bread Co. names. The company
is the leader in the emerging specialty bread/cafe category
due to its unique bread combined with a quick, casual dining
experience. Panera Bread offers a wide variety of Sourdough
and other specialty breads, along with bagels, pastries,
baked goods, hot and cold espresso beverages, hand-tossed
salads, signature sandwiches, and soups served in edible
Sourdough bread bowls. Additional information is available
on the company’s website, www.panerabread.com
.
