Auntie Anne’s, the world’s largest hand rolled soft pretzel franchise and part of the Focus Brands’ family of brands, announced a franchise agreement to open 27 locations in Taiwan. IndulgeEAT LTD – a subsidiary of one of the largest sports fashion retailers in Taiwan – has signed an agreement to drive Auntie Anne’s Taiwan expansion and plans to open all locations within five years. With a long history in retail, the multi-unit operator will utilize its strong relationships with local landlords to build freestanding, in-line, streetside and non-traditional locations in a variety of cities across Taiwan.

“As we continue to see a great deal of success in Asian markets like South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, we firmly believe expanding the Auntie Anne’s brand into the Taiwan market is the natural next step,” says Beto Guajardo, President of FOCUS Brands International. “IndulgeEAT LTD shares our passion and excitement and is the perfect partner to grow Auntie Anne’s in that market. Western concepts continue to excel in this part of the world, and we believe our pretzels will quickly win over the hearts of the Taiwanese.”

The new Auntie Anne’s Taiwan locations will feature the brand’s top-selling core menu items including soft pretzels, pretzel nuggets and pretzel dogs. The country’s locations will also feature Almond Cream Cheese Stix – a favorite Auntie Anne’s menu item in Asia with additional local favorites planned for 2021. The first location opens today (November 11) in Taipei.

To grow internationally, Auntie Anne’s is seeking organizations with strong operational or retail experience, multi-unit capabilities and financial strength.

Source: QSR Magazine