O'Briens set to expand in London
Fast-growing sandwich bar chain O'Briens is set to break into the London market.
The Dublin-based group which already has 130 shops in the UK, of which six are owned and the rest franchised.
Until now, it has held off expanding in the capital because of high rents and stiff competition with the coffee bar market.
"We wanted to wait until rents were more reasonable. They have been obscene," said franchise director Paul Stanton.
The company already has one shop close to Liverpool Street Station in London, which it opened seven years ago, and another at Heathrow airport.
It plans to have three more open within the next six months and a total of 50 within the M25 area in the next 18 months.
The company already has operations all over the world and next year is to make its debut in Saudi Arabia. Its overall aim is to have 1,000 outlets by 2008.
by Christina Golding
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