Wetzel’s Pretzels, the innovator in the fresh-baked pretzel category, announced highlights and financial results for its fiscal year ending December 27, 2015, along with its outlook for fiscal year 2016. With a variety of multiunit agreements in place and the opening of the company’s first Manhattan location, Wetzel’s Pretzels will push its domestic store count past 300 by end the end of 2016.

2015 Highlights:

• Achieved comparable same-store sales increases of 5.2 percent
• Q4 marked the eighth straight consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth
• Continued nontraditional unit growth, including the opening of Wetzel’s at multiple Walmart locations, and transit stations, building on the success of the company’s location at Los Angeles’ Union Station
• Opened 21 units, expanding its national footprint to 28 states
• Launched Pizza Bitz, one of the most successful new product introductions in company history, which accounted for up to 10 percent of net sales system-wide
• Lowered cost of goods sold (COGS) by nearly 2 percentage points

2016 Outlook:

• The opening of the Wetzel’s first Manhattan location in Fulton Center, near Wall Street. Daily foot traffic is expected to average 300,000 people
• The opening of four additional Walmart locations
• Expansion across Texas, Illinois, and Tampa and Orlando, Florida, via multiunit developer programs

“Wetzel’s Pretzels continues to be a leading player in the quick service restaurant category thanks to our focus on franchise profitability, securing of great real estate and creation of fresh products which our guests love,” says Bill Phelps, cofounder and CEO of Wetzel’s Pretzels. “We’re looking forward to building on the success of 2015 and continuing to provide the best-tasting fresh pretzels to guests across the country.”