Popeyes eyes further expansion in southern California

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has launched a franchise campaign to recruit multi-unit operators in the Los Angeles and San Diego markets, reports the Nation’s Restaurant News. Popeyes Vice President of Development Greg Vojnovic says the company is looking to open 24 Popeyes restaurants in the Los Angeles area and six restaurants in the San Diego area over the next five years. The 2,000-unit chicken chain is seeking franchisees in southern California who have a minimum of five years’ experience, a net worth of $500,000 and liquid assets of at least $250,000. There are currently 75 Popeyes restaurants in the Los Angeles area and nine in the San Diego area. “It’s the right time to expand in southern California because Popeyes’ share in the quick-service chicken market is at a 10-year high, and there is an unmet demand for the brand in Los Angeles and San Diego,” Vojnovic says. Popeyes will compete primarily against Chick-fil-A in southern California, which is also trying to expand in the region. New freestanding Popeyes restaurants that opened in 2009 posted an average sales volume of $1.27 million in 2010, Vojnovic says. Popeyes added 106 new restaurants to its global system during the last fiscal year. Overall, domestic same-store sales increased 2.5%, compared with 0.6% in fiscal year 2009.