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Detroit-headquartered pizza chain Little Caesars has entered India with two outlets in Ahmedabad.
Little Caesars, which has a presence in over 25 countries, launched its first two Indian outlets in Ahmedabad on January 29 with an all-veg menu.
“It is a conscious decision to go for an all-veg menu at our two new stores,” Paula Vissing, Senior Vice-President, International, Little Caesars Enterprises Inc, told Businessline . “We have studied the market and analysed the customer feedback. We believe an all-veg menu is appropriate and right for this market (Gujarat). (But) when we move into other markets in India, we will have both veg and non-veg menus.”
It may be recalled that in 2018, pizza chain Domino's had taken all the non-veg pizzas off its menu across the State.
Low cost, quick delivery
Little Caesars looks at India as a promising market in the Asian region, said Vissing. It will serve, among others, a signature 10-inch ‘Hot-N-Ready’ pizza at ₹159 all day. It claims the freshly made pizza can be served in 10 seconds or less for takeaway orders, eliminating the waiting period involved in advance ordering.
Nandish Patel of Phoenix Nexus, the company’s franchisee for Gujarat and Maharashtra, said the Gujarat experience will be useful in setting up other outlets when the company expands operations in India. He refused to divulge the investment details; however, the typical investment payback timeframe is 1.5-2 years.
“Flavour profiles and customer experience are the key learnings that we look to gain from our Ahmedabad stores,” said Patel.
Focus on Ahmedabad
Commenting on the American chain’s India plans, Ashok Lal, Regional Managing Director, EMA/AP for Little Caesars, said the brand will look to expand its presence in other metros and tier-2 cities but, for 2020, its focus will be on strengthening and developing its presence in Ahmedabad. “We have a strategy in place for expansion. But, at present, we are focussed on developing our Ahmedabad outlets and will later look for expansion,” he said.
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