MMPM Premier Retail, the Dublin-based company behind the Prémaman clothing brand in Ireland is planning to open between 60 and 70 shops in Britain in the next five years. The company will open its first British store at Crawley in West Sussex in March, and a second store will open in Derby City in April. MPM will open six Prémaman outlets in Britain this year it self. Colin Murphy, the company’s Business Development Manager, said most of the stores would be franchise-operated, as MPM also owns the British franchise for the retailer.

According to Murphy, the company had hired former Virgin Executive Mike Thompson to spearhead the development of Prémaman in Britain.

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd., the Australian franchise of the US pizza chain, will add at least 35 stores in Europe each year until it hits a target of 1,000 stores, betting on rising demand for home delivered food.
The firm is setting a minimum target of 35 stores a year, according to Domino’s Chief Financial Officer Richard Coney. Europe will be bigger than Australia and New Zealand from sales to store numbers to profits, he predicted.

Domino’s currently operates 667 stores, including 404 in Australia, 65 in New Zealand and a total of 198 in France, Belgium and The Netherlands. Coney said that Europe’s fragmented pizza market offers big growth opportunities for Domino’s.

Zpizza, a US pizza restaurant chain, aims to expand its national network to over 100 restaurants in 21 states by mid-2008. During 2007, Zpizza sold regional franchises in 12 states across the US. Areas that are under development include Hawaii, Colorado, Montana, Michigan, Georgia and New York.

Zpizza focuses on providing its customers with dishes made from good quality and fresh ingredients; items on its menu include pizzas, sandwiches, salads and deserts. Zpizza currently has 70 restaurants open, and is adding two or three stores per month and has 300 plus units in development, informed Chris Bright, Zpizza’s President.
Furthermore, Zpizza has finalised its first international deal with the selling of its Master Franchise for the Middle East, which will see 34 Zpizza restaurants open throughout the region.

AUS-based Chinese restaurant chain City Wok is expanding its franchise in Orange County, California. Franchisee Kevin Park has opened his first of the five City Wok outlets, in the Village at Orange Mall in Orange County, California.
The format is 50% carry out and 50% dine in and customers can enjoy tremendous volumes in relatively small spaces.
In total, four California entrepreneurs have signed multi-unit franchise agreements with City Wok to expand the franchise to 18 locations within the California region. Additionally the company also has stores in development in Florida, Colorado and North Carolina.

American fast-food chain Church’s Chicken plans to make its way into Ukraine by next year through its Russian franchisee European Active Corporation, which owns franchising rights in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
Church’s Chicken is following in the footsteps of McDonald’s, which has launched 58 restaurants in 16 cities since entering the market in 1997.
The first Church’s Chicken opened last September in Moscow, and one is scheduled to open in Kyiv next year, said Zack Kollias, Vice-President (International Operations), Church’s Chicken. Expansion plans call for the opening of 100 more restaurants within the next seven years, with around 40 of these in Ukraine and Belarus Another major fast-food player to enter Ukraine in the next year is the number two international quick-service brand Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

Chicago based company, Dinner by Design aims to teach adults how to prepare quick and healthy family meals in a fun and social environment. This US-based home meal preparation kitchen franchise is set to expand into Iowa city, Des Moines, Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Dubuque, Sioux City and Waterloo.