By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
AML Foods will create 40 jobs with the opening of two more Carl’s Jr. outlets before Christmas, with its inaugural location have experienced 20-30 per cent weekly sales growth in recent months.
Gavin Watchorn, the BISX-listed food retail and franchise group’s chief executive, told Tribune Business that the sales growth suggested it was time to expand Carl’s Jr’s volume.
“You’re going to see some significant changes with Carl’s Jr. in a little short while,” he said of the group’s hamburger franchise.
“It’s taken longer than we envisaged to grow the brand, but we will have two more stores opening up before Christmas.”
These stores will be located on Carmichael Road, near the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) branch and Faith Avenue junction, and at the Mall at Marathon’s food court.
“We’ve been growing sales quite nicely,” Mr Watchorn told Tribune Business of the first Carl’s Jr. outlet, located on the East-West Highway by AML’s Solomon’s SuperCentre site.
“In the last couple of months, sales have been growing by 20-30 per cent per week, and the new stores are going to give us the volume the brand needs.
“We think these two stores are going to change the perspective of Carl’s, and are going to add volume, create lower overheads and improve purchasing opportunities, driving further efficiencies.”
Mr Watchorn estimated that 40 jobs would be created by the opening of the two Carl’s Jr. outlets. He emphasised that AML Foods was seeking to full the management positions at both locations from within.
“We want the management positions at both stores to be internal,” he added. “As we grow the company, we want to grow the staff with us, and help them grow as the company grows.”
Dionisio D’Aguilar, AML Foods chairman, told Tribune Business that “opportunity presented” itself for Carl’s Jr. to establish a presence within the Mall at Marathon proper.
“We’re expanding that brand. We’re opening one in the Mall at Marathon. That’s under construction now,” he said.
“I think the one in the Mall will be ready before that one [Carmichael Road]. That’s an opportunity that presented itself.”
A fourth Carl’s Jr. location has been earmarked for the site where AML Foods is investing $14 million to develop its Solomon’s Yamacraw location in eastern New Providence.
Artist renderings of the new store show a Carl’s Jr. attached to it, and both Messrs Watchorn and D’Aguilar confirmed the franchise expansion intentions when Solomon’s Yamacraw is fully constructed by early November 2017.
Mr Watchorn told Tribune Business that Solomon’s Yamacraw was expected to start generating positive returns for AML Foods’ shareholders during its first year of operations.
“We’ve got some pretty conservative numbers that will produce good returns for our shareholders,” he said. “We’re pretty confident we will exceed expectations here.
“We reckon if not within year one, it will be very close to year one that we will start getting returns. We believe the ramp us is going to be a very short ramp up period.
“We feel there is pent up demand for an alternative, and we’re confident we’ll be able to provide that alternative. Our market research is telling us there’s quite a lot of homes out here.”
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