Sub Stories

January 5/Chicago/Business Wire -- A number of top limited-service sandwich chains overcame the downhill economy by exhibiting growth, reports foodservice consultancy Technomic. The new "2008 Technomic Top 100 Limited-Service Sandwich Chains Restaurant Report" found that in 2007, Subway added nearly a half billion dollars in revenues and 440 new units over the prior year. Quiznos registered the second highest sales growth, with $261 million and 178 units.

"Though the economy has moved from bad to worse, the limited-service sandwich segment is holding its own," says Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic. "Its resilience comes from its ability to provide customers with a range of offerings from low cost to high end.

The Top 100 Sandwich chains have displayed an array of tactics for weathering the economic storm -- from revising their pricing strategies, to making menu offerings more memorable and substantial to renovating their stores."

• The limited-service sandwich industry totaled $21.2 billion in sales in 2007, of which the Top 100 accounted for $18.8 billion, or 89% of the total. Sales for the Top 100 grew 6.4 percent, outperforming the overall sandwich industry's growth of 5.7%. Unit growth of the Top 100 was up by 1.8% for a total of 38,790 units, compared with growth of 1.6% for the limited-service sandwich industry with a total of 55,610 units. The Top 100 makes up nearly 70% of the industry's units.

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Contact

Patrick Noone
312-506-3852
pnoone@technomic.com
www.technomic.com