Marco's Pizza® Expands Its National Footprint Signing 88 New Franchise Agreements So Far This Year with Over 200 New Stores in Development

TOLEDO, Ohio, April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marco's Pizza, one of the nation's fastest-growing pizza brands, is on pace for a remarkable 2021 following a strong year in 2020. In addition to signing 88 new franchise agreements since the start of the year, the brand has also signed multiple area development deals to bring a total of 20 units to Colorado, which is all part of a larger strategy to grow its 1000-plus unit footprint by more than 10% this year.

Existing locations have maintained strong sales as the brand continues to build out its robust pipeline of over 200 units in various stages of development. Marco's Pizza is targeting areas such as Austin, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio and Southern California for expansion.

"Our teams have been busy working to lower unit buildout costs while simultaneously driving higher sales," explained Tony Libardi, Co-CEO & President of Marco's Pizza. "This, paired with ease of funding, has created an opportune time for both existing and prospective franchisees to grow with Marco's."

Riding the momentum of a year filled with record-breaking sales, the brand's milestone 1,000^th store opening and recent innovations and pilot programs, Marco's Pizza plans on having another banner year. Part of its growth strategy involves placing a focus on multi-unit development as nearly half of the franchise network is made up of multi-unit owners.

"We remained incredibly adaptive during the pandemic – rapid expansion of third-party delivery, new contact-free delivery and curbside pickup options – and that innovation will continue to serve our network well for years to come," added Libardi.

As the only national pizza franchise founded by a native Italian, Marco's has carved out a niche in the industry for authentic Italian quality pizza. The brand recently rolled out a refreshed ad campaign with a new tagline, "Pizza Lovers Get It." Designed to speak to the pizza lovers of America, Marco's is on a mission to celebrate and validate the obsessive love of pizza.

Opening a new store every three and a half days on average, the Top 50% of its franchised stores generated $1,059,574 AUV for 2020*. For more information on Marco's Pizza franchise opportunities, visit www.marcosfranchising.com or call 866-731-8209.

ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA 
Marco's Pizza is America's Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza companies in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives by making authentic Italian quality pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,000 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 2 in the Pizza category on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2020 "Franchise 500" ranking, and No. 6 in the Largest Pizza Chain category on Restaurant Business' 2020 "Top 500 Chains" ranking. Other recent accolades include ranking No. 4 in Forbes 2019 "Best Franchises to Buy" Small/Medium Investment and ranking five consecutive years on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious "Top 200" ranking.

*Based on the Average Unit Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for fiscal year 2020. Based on fiscal year 2020, 142 of 369 Franchised Stores in the category (38%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our 2021 FDD – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

SOURCE Marco's Pizza