News

Panera Bread plans 30-plus unit expansion in Central Ohio

August 18, 2011

The country's largest Panera Bread franchise, Warren, Ohio-based Covelli Enterprises, plans to expand the chain by 30-plus units in the next five years with a big focus on the Columbus, Ohio market.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Covelli Enterprises already has a solid footprint in the area, after buying 19 Panera outlets last year from Columbus' Breads of the World.

The company, owned by Sam Covelli, operates 200 locations in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Florida and Canada. In addition to the Central Ohio plan, Covelli Enterprises is eyeing an expansion by up to five units in Toronto.

Covelli told the Dispatch that 2010 was his company's biggest year ever, with more than $400 million in sales.

The brand as a whole had a strong second quarter, with a 3.9 percent system-wide increase in same-store sales.