There are huge upsides to forging partnerships with other businesses. And on the franchise scene we’ve witnessed Subway already open in nine SPAR stores owned by Gillett’s Callington, which has almost 70 of the supermarkets in the south west, to resounding success. Now a further five are in the works for the region.
Following their first joint venture in 2012 with Subways opening at SPAR stores in Bridport and Plymouth North Hill, they’re now expanding their partnership into Pinhoe, Exeter and Bugle, with developments underway already. Looking to the future, Wool and Wareham in Dorset are in sight for the same treatment.
Gillett’s Callington cited Subway’s youthful appeal as well as historical success with fellow SPAR retailers as its motivation to grow the relationship. Indeed, only recently Subway unveiled its Fresh Forward decor sporting digital menus, charging ports and bright colour schemes to lure tech-centric millennials into the fold.
Although, this isn’t the strangest coupling Subway has made to stretch its reach. Indeed, it has over 800 untraditional stores in the likes of transport hubs, petrol forecourts and even hospitals as part of its growth plan.
Commenting on the move, Justin Goes, regional director Europe at Subway International, said: “Non-traditional development, through partnerships such as this with Gillett’s Callington, has been a key factor to Subway’s growth in the UK and Ireland and we are keen to extend our collaboration in the future.”
Speaking from the other side, Phil Darch, operations director at Gillett’s Callington, added: “We were attracted to Subway as we felt it would be a good, complementary fit for our stores and would appeal to a younger demographic that we were looking to target. We were also aware of Subway’s success with other SPAR retailers and were keen to replicate this across the southwest where we operate our stores.”
Seemingly this is one of those cases where two heads are better than one – and this partnership hits the nail on both.”
