Flexibility in locations brings pizza closer to fans and drives expansion as Marco’s Pizza franchise progresses towards 800 locations nationwide
Marco’s Pizza® just ventured into our first retail establishment, and in a big way, by partnering with Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States. The Walmart location opened in September in Urbana, Ohio, just in time for the deluge of holiday shoppers.
Marco’s Pizza prides itself on making the best delivery pizza money can buy, and our growth is testament to our devoted fans nationwide. Marco’s Pizza is handmade in the Italian tradition, using fresh, never-frozen cheeses, making the dough by hand in stores daily and using only premium meats and vegetables. Founded in Toledo in 1978, Marco’s is the only Top 20 pizza chain begun by a native Italian. Our pizza franchise has enjoyed tremendous growth in recent years and is on pace to have 1,000 restaurants open by the end of 2017.
“At Marco’s we are all about making it convenient for customers to enjoy our fresh and delicious pizza, and we’re thrilled that Walmart has chosen us to be their pizza of choice for their shoppers,” says Marco’s President Bryon Stephens. “Thinking outside the box and opening stores in retailers is a fantastic way to spread brand awareness as well as get our delicious authentic Italian pizza into the hands of more hungry fans. So far this venture is going well, and we are evaluating the possibility of more locations in area Walmart stores.”
The Urbana Walmart Supercenter location opened September 9 and offers Walmart shoppers several convenient ways to enjoy our pizza: delivery, dine-in, carryout and drive-thru. The dining area features a window where customers can watch Marco’s employees make fresh dough daily. The store sells pizza by the slice and has also added some non-traditional items to appeal to Walmart shoppers — frozen beverages, nachos, muffins and coffee.
Nontraditional locations in high-traffic areas mean more fans of the Marco’s Pizza franchise
Being creative with our development has allowed Marco’s to maximize our footprint and take advantage of high-traffic areas so it makes sense that a retail establishment would be the next move for our growing brand. Our first nontraditional location was through a partnership with movie and game rental company Family Video in 2012. From professional soccer to hockey, we’ve also gone where the fans are, opening locations in sports arenas.
The Marco’s Development Team initiated this project in the spring of 2015 with a meeting at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) show in Las Vegas through a broker. Walmart interviewed numerous concepts to find the right fit before partnering with our brand.
“Our new Walmart-based store is in a highly visible area. Hungry shoppers are becoming instant fans and making a point to order carryout pizza after their shopping trip is done,” Bryon says.
Build your success on ours
Are you passionate about pizza and bringing Marco’s to your community? Once customers try our delicious pizza in a nontraditional location they will be looking for our brand in their neighborhood, making now an opportune time capitalize on this momentum and open a Marco’s pizza. Founded in Toledo, Ohio, in 1978 Marco’s is now one of the nation’s fastest-growing large pizza franchises. We are led by veteran pizza executives who have experience growing brands and helping franchisees grow their businesses.
Marco’s Pizza is seeking quality franchisees who are committed to making their franchises places where customers want to buy fresh, delectable pizza — welcoming, friendly individuals who remember customers’ names and are passionate about the Marco’s product. The investment required to start a Marco’s Pizza franchise is typically $350,000. The pizza franchise is looking for people who have a net worth of $350,000 and a minimum liquidity of $100,000.
Marco’s Pizza’s continued growth in 2016, with an average new store opening at a pace of every third day, couldn’t happen without this flexibility and support. We are racking up industry accolades, including recognition as having has the fastest unit growth, according to Nation’s Restaurant News, which placed our pizza franchise on its Top 100 List. Marco’s rolled out 113 new franchises in 2015 and we are on pace to have 1,000 stores nationwide by the end of 2017.
Learn more about Marco’s Pizza
For in-depth details about the Marco’s Pizza franchise opportunity, download our free franchise report. You can also learn more by visiting our research pages.
