Salad-bar chain Chopped is rolling out new stores across Ireland's north
The company will open six new stores, starting with a flagship outlet in Belfast.
IRISH SALAD CHAIN Freshly Chopped is continuing its rapid expansion with the opening of six new outlets in Northern Ireland and Donegal.
The firm has signed a franchise agreement with food services company Mount Charles, which will initially see six standalone stores opened over the next three years in an exclusive area development deal that the companies said would support up to 150 jobs.
The first of these franchised stores will open in Belfast’s Donegall Square West in August, but the two companies have not yet announced where the other outlets will be located.
Brian Lee, co-founder and CEO of Freshly Chopped, said that these locations will be “vital” for the company’s expansion over the next number of years.
The company already has a limited presence in Northern Ireland, with outlets in Newry and Tannaghmore.
Brian Lee (centre)
Expansion plans
Founded in 2012 by Lee and Andy Chen, Freshly Chopped now has 46 stores across the island of Ireland, as well as a recently opened outlet in Cyprus.
The Dublin-based firm has a mixture of company-owned outlets and franchise stores, the first of which opened on Grafton Street in 2016.
Last year, Chopped also signed a multimillion-euro franchise deal with BWG Group to open a number of salad bars in Spar, Mace and Londis stores across the country.
The most recently filed accounts for the company show that sales hit €1.8 million in 2016, while profits at the healthy fast-food chain doubled compared to the previous year.
The majority of the firm’s profits stemmed from sales at its own salad bars, with more than three-quarters coming from its stores in Ballsbridge, Baggot Street, Fairview and Swords.
In addition to its expansion in Northern Ireland, Lee has told Fora that Chopped is also planning to break into the UK market.
