Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc., the Denver-based fast-casual franchising company, announced today that it is expanding its Spicy Pickle brand to Canada. The company stated that it has entered into a franchise agreement for the development of the first Spicy Pickle restaurant in Canada. The restaurant, which is expected to open in the summer of 2012, will be located in Calgary, Alberta, representing the beginning of the brand’s expansion plans to our northern neighbor.
Jeff Branton, who is the Vice President and General Manager for the company’s Canadian operations, including its BG Urban cafés and grills, said, “Given Canada’s strong economy, and in Calgary in particular, this is a great market in which to launch Spicy Pickle in Canada, and it will complement our BG Urban brand operations nicely. Being that we are a Canadian company with our BG Urban cafés & grills already in British Columbia, we have the infrastructure to support and grow both our brands here, so adding Spicy Pickle was a natural move.” The company, which operates its separate BG Urban restaurant brand in western Canada, already has twelve BG Urban cafes and grills in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, but this new franchise will represent the company’s first Canadian Spicy Pickle location.
Peter Wright, the company’s Chief Development Officer, noted, “The interest and increasing demand we have received lately for Spicy Pickle, particularly in Canada, has been fantastic. That is one of the many reasons why this expansion fits so well. The Spicy Pickle brand is now ready and repositioned for expansion. We already have an experienced team in place in Vancouver so we’re ready to go. Simply put, this is a great move, and it represents an exciting time for the company and the Spicy Pickle brand.”
Mark Laramie, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, added, “Our Canadian expansion, along with our recent expansion into the Middle East, is consistent with our overall strategy for the International expansion of both our brands. Last year we repositioned and refreshed both our Spicy Pickle and BG Urban brands by re-engineering everything from our store layouts to menu offerings and the supply chains. Both brands are now positioned for growth and the increased franchising interest we’re experiencing is evidence that our efforts are paying off.”
Ian Boyd, the new Calgary Franchisee for Spicy Pickle, said, “I expect the brand to be huge here, and I’m just excited to be the one to introduce it to Canada. I have no doubt that the people of Calgary are going to fall in love with Spicy Pickle!” Mr. Branton, who has worked closely with Mr. Boyd through his application process, concluded, “We selected Ian because we think he’ll be a terrific partner with us. He is from Calgary, knows the area well, and we are confident that he will be a great addition to the Spicy Pickle family.” The parties are presently pursuing a site for the new restaurant and hope to announce its upcoming Calgary location soon.