Franchising

Marco's Pizza makes adjustments to franchise development program

May 2, 2022

Marco's Pizza has revealed major enhancements to its franchise development program. The company has a goal of 1,500 units by the end of 2023, according to a press release.

The company has 200 stores in development.

"I've been with Marco's for 11 years and can confidently say that the level of sophistication and detail of the franchise development program has never been stronger," Robert Pina, area representative and franchisee, said in the release. Pina just signed a 46-store deal, one of the largest deals in Marco's brand history. "Marco's makes it easy to become an empire builder in the system. If you're looking to grow a robust pizza portfolio, you won't find a more dedicated and supportive team than this. Marco's leadership and devotion to franchise growth and franchisee support is simply unmatched."

The company made changes to its franchise program in four key areas:

• Stretegic support to secure financing. Understanding the challenges surrounding lending, Marco's Director of Franchise Financing Brad Fletcher and the finance team have established partnerships with eight preferred banks and lending institutions.
• Multi-unit growth incentive. Marco's offers a long-term incentive for multi-unit owners, including franchisee fee discounts, reduced royalties and growth acceleration bonuses.
• Strengthened real estate team. Marco's continues to add real estate expertise and support to help accelerate site selection and guide franchisees at key decision points.
• Streamlined design and construction process. Marco's recently formalized a partnership with a single architect to streamline the design process. This partnership has helped shorten the build-out process by approximately two weeks. The architect shepherds the process through permitting on behalf of the franchisee so they do not have to take on additional responsibility with local municipalities.

"As a result of strategic enhancements, our development team is able to act soundly as consultants to franchisees by providing information, insights, and recommendations at every key decision point and milestone," Keith Sizemore, vice president of development for Marco's Pizza, said in the release. "This, paired with the fact that several members of our team are also franchisees themselves, brings a unique perspective to the support process. Franchisees are given the confidence that they are making the right decisions."