Sandwich chain Subway is to create more than 400 new jobs as it increases its number of stores in Ireland to 321 by 2020.
The company, which is headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, said the expansion plans were in response to “consumer demand for more affordable quality ingredients and healthier choices”.
In total, the company is aiming to increase the number of stores in Ireland and the UK to 3,000 by 2020, creating about 5,000 new jobs.
There are currently 2,499 Subway stores in Ireland and the UK, all owned and operated by a network of small business owners.
Subways’ most recent total turnover was calculated at approximately £515 million (€586 million). The brand’s contribution to business creation within the wider sector has increased to represent 1.1 per cent of total of new businesses in the food and beverage activities industry.
New deal
Subway will employ approximately 24,000 full and part-time working people in communities in Ireland and the UK by 2020.
In addition to the local store employment opportunities, the brand contracts other vendors and suppliers such as print and advertising, along with the supply chain managed by IPC Europe; a non-profit making organisation owned by Subway franchisees.
Earlier this year, Subway signed a new €850 million deal with Irish food company Dawn Farms for the latter to supply cooked meats to more than 4,000 restaurants across Europe.
Headquartered in Naas, Co Kildare and with manufacturing operations in Ireland and the UK, Dawn Farms is one of the leading suppliers of cooked and fermented meat for pizza, sandwiches, ready meals and snacks to international chains and food manufacturers.
Hard work
The company has a long-established relationship with the sandwich chain which dates back to the opening of Subway’s first European store in 1993. That new seven-year contract replaced a €700 million deal agreed with Subway in 2010.
Subway director for the UK and Ireland Peter Dowding said the company’s growth was “a testament to the hard work and effort of our franchisees”.
“Our franchise model is tried and tested,” he said. “It works for entrepreneurs and it works for us. We are confident our business model will continue to grow as more and more consumers demand great tasting food at a value price-point.
“With 5,000 new jobs expected over the next three years, opening up a further 500 stores demonstrates not only the value of the business to our franchisees but also collectively, the real and significant contribution to Irish and British economies.”
Subway is active in more than 44,000 locations in more than 112 countries. It was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr Peter Buck in 1965.
