Little Caesars® Pizza Is Looking to Expand Its Presence in Southeast Asia By Bringing its First Location To Thailand

Little Caesars® Pizza, the third-largest pizza chain in the world with a presence in 27 countries and territories, recently celebrated the opening of restaurants in India, Spain, Barbados and Colombia. Now, the global brand is planning to open hundreds of international stores in the next few years as part of its extensive international growth plan and has its sights set on establishing a presence in Thailand.

“We are putting a large focus on expanding our presence in Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on Thailand, specifically the city of Bangkok,” said Brett Larrabee, Director of International Development. “Bangkok is the perfect city for passionate entrepreneurs looking to join the Little Caesars Pizza brand thanks to a growing demand for American QSR brands and our value-driven business model.”

When it comes to development in Thailand, the leading pizza chain already has a strong footprint in neighboring country, Singapore, and predicts similar results of appreciation and success.

“We have great confidence that our quality tasting pizza and an unmatched level of convenience and value will resonate in Thailand as it has in Singapore,” said Larrabee. “Because the brand has been well received in Singapore, Thailand seems like the most logical market to pursue development alongside other neighboring countries like Malaysia.”

According to a report by GlobalData, Thai foodservice market sales are expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 3.3% through 2020, with QSR and FSR channels responsible for most of the transactions. In addition, the report notes that Western-style chains dominate in the QSR segment and that operators will benefit from the growing trend towards on-the-go convenience and take-out. Plus, with increased regulation being imposed on street food, it is expected that growth in chained QSR concepts will experience a boost as they fill the demand.

According to Jstor Daily, pizza has had a presence in Thailand since the Vietnam War. The publication mentions that as a result of many American soldiers stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War, they brought new and influential Italian-American food favorites with them, including pizza. Little Caesars® Pizza is looking forward to developing a menu that caters to the spicy and flavorful taste buds of the consumer base.

In the last few years, Little Caesars Pizza has increased its international presence in markets including Asia Pacific, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. “We’ve had six years of positive growth internationally, and we are the last major pizza chain available in most, if not all, of the countries were actively targeting for growth,” said Larrabee. Now, the brand’s top growth targets for franchise expansion outside of the U.S. are India, Philippines, England, Spain, Turkey and Thailand.

In the $145 billion worldwide pizza industry, Little Caesars Pizza stands out as a brand that has both a 61-year legacy of helping franchisees thrive and an aggressive growth strategy. With a strategic business model that emphasizes simplicity and efficiency, Little Caesars Pizza is a quick-to-scale concept with great profit potential, low square footage, limited numbers of employees and takeaway service all designed to keep operating costs low. In addition, Little Caesars Pizza also offers franchisees ongoing support and makes significant investments in future technology to help the business stay relevant to customers.

“We have a very proud history of innovation, something we find is extremely important to our continued growth,” said Larrabee. He also highlighted Mike Ilitch’s invention of what is known as the pizza conveyor oven and the brand’s award-winning Pizza Portal™ pick up technology as two excellent examples of this innovation in action throughout brand history that serve as a testament to the Little Caesars Pizza brand’s positioning atop the industry.

Now, the legacy brand is looking forward to continuing its extraordinary growth trajectory, especially in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Quick-service restaurants (QSR) have long been a favorite of pizza lovers in the United States but the popularity of QSR restaurants also extends to international guests who are in search of delicious, affordable, quick-service meals. Little Caesars Pizza is the perfect concept to fill this need in Bangkok and beyond. Ideal franchise candidates are well-capitalized, with $1.5 million in liquid assets, and possess the drive to build 20-plus stores in a five-year span.

“We are looking forward to bringing Little Caesars to Thailand, and we anticipate significant growth throughout the country in the next several years,” said Larrabee. “No matter where we operate, we offer an affordable alternative to our competition, with quality pizza at a value all families can afford. Now, Little Caesars Pizza is actively seeking interested entrepreneurs eager to join the pizza revolution and share our three brand pillars of value, quality and convenience to the communities of Thailand.”

For more information on Little Caesars® Pizza in Thailand, visit https://international.littlecaesars.com/.