Franchising

Marco's to open 20 Denver-area stores by 2024's end

Aerial drone view of Denver, where Marco's will open 20 stores by the end of 2024. (Photo: iStock)

June 30, 2021

Marco's Pizza has signed two deals to open 20 Denver-metro stores by the end of 2024. This comes on the heels of the brand's 90-plus franchise agreements signed year-to-date, with over 200 stores in various stages of development, as the brand said in a news release it shoots to grow its 1,000-plus current store-count by more than 10% this year.

The first of the most recent pair of agreements was signed with franchisees Aaron Rosenthal and Steve Moberly for development of eight Greater Denver stores, in addition to the 10 existing Marco's locations they operate. The first store is expected to open by the first quarter of 2022 in Wheat Ridge, with additional stores planned for Applewood, Arvada, Brighton, Commerce City, Lakewood, Thornton and other areas.

"The pandemic shined a light on the value of having pizza in your portfolio, proving the industry to be essentially recession-proof," Moberly said in the release. "We knew timing was right to invest and be aggressive with growth. Marco's 40-year history, proven business model, and opportunity to develop in key markets checked all our boxes."

The second deal was signed with franchisees Austin Toupin, Chris Harper and the investment group, MCAA Brands LLC. Toupin and Harper joined Marco's Pizza with a development deal that will bring 12 stores to the Denver-Fort Collins area over the next three years. The first location is slated to open in Denver by the end of 2021, with the second projected to debut in the first quarter of 2022.

"We're placing an emphasis on growing with incredible partners who truly embody our people-first approach to business," Keith Sizemore, Marco's vice president of Development, said in the release. "The Denver market and the greater state of Colorado is ideal for our continued expansion in terms of unit count and franchisee health, all while yielding an impressive number of high-profile opportunities."

Marco's, based in Toledo, Ohio, has more than 1,000 stores in its system.