Published on January 19, 2005

Pizza Today Co Ltd will invest Bt80 million to expand its bakery-production capacity and open four branches of its new pizza restaurant with the aim of doubling sales to Bt500 million by year’s end, the company’s president and CEO said yesterday.

Supakit Rungrote said the company would invest Bt60 million to double production capacity at its bakery in Pathum Thani province, which supplies raw materials to the company’s bakery business units.

Those units include 44 Pizza Today branches, seven Sugar Ban branches, one Bakery Today branch and one Pizza Today Extra restaurant, which officially opened yesterday.

Supakit said the company was also in negotiations to supply bakery products to Tesco-Lotus and airlines.

The company will invest the other Bt20 million to open four new branches of Pizza Today Extra restaurants after the success of its Pizza Today “take home” pizza business.

Supakit, who graduated as a chef from the Culinary Institute of America in 2000, established Pizza Today. The company started with an initial Bt1 million investment and now generates sales of Bt250 million a year.

Supakit said half the investment would come from its cash flow and equity“When our restaurant is a success, we plan to open a franchise system for other people who are interested in being pizza-restaurant owners,” Supakit said.

Those interested in operating franchises will have to pay Bt7 million to construct a restaurant and for all the pizza-making equipment.

They will also pay an annual training fee of Bt40,000 and be required to buy pizza raw materials from the company.

The company expects to complete franchisee agreements for at least five branches in the second half of this year.

It expects sales growth to double from Bt250 million to Bt500 million at the end of this year. Half of its sales will come from the pizza business, 20 per cent will come from its bakery business and 30 per cent will come from supplying Tesco Lotus or the airlines.

“If our business success follows our business plan, we will apply to be a listed company on the stock market by 2007,” Supakit said.

Somluck Srimalee, The Nation

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