Subway to expand footprint in Brazil; partners with restaurant operator SouthRock

Sandwich chain Subway has partnered with SouthRock, a leading Brazil-based multi-brand restaurant operator to expand Subway’s footprint in Brazil, one of the company’s largest markets.

The agreement is the first of its kind for Subway in Latin America and aims to further expand the company’s broader international growth strategy.

Under the agreement, SouthRock, a licensed operator of Starbucks and TGI Fridays in Brazil, will acquire the exclusive rights to manage and develop all Subway locations in the market, including providing operations, development and marketing support to franchisees.

The partnership will accelerate Subway’s growth, with SouthRock expanding Subway’s current footprint of more than 1,600 locations in Brazil over the multi-decade term of the agreement.

“As Subway’s first master franchise agreement in Latin America, and the company’s largest agreement in an established Subway market, today's announcement with SouthRock marks an exciting moment in our global and regional expansion plan,” said John Chidsey, Chief Executive Officer, Subway by adding that they are planning to open new restaurants in Brazil with Subway’s modernized "Fresh Forward" design, meeting the needs of today’s guests with comfortable, inviting indoor dining spaces.

In addition, they will expand delivery and online ordering options, with a strong digital first strategy.

“At SouthRock, we pride ourselves on our hands-on approach to food and beverage management in Brazil with a focus on building trust with our partners (how we call our employees) and empowering them to deliver experiences that exceed our customers’ expectations,” said Ken Pope, Founder and CEO, SouthRock.

Prior to founding SouthRock in 2015, Pope previously built a multi-brand portfolio of leading Brazilian food and beverage brands. With more than 25 years in the retail and food & beverage industries in Brazil, SouthRock partner and COO Antonio Neves was the Managing Director for Brazil at International Meal Company (IMC) prior to working alongside Pope in his previous multi-brand portfolio.