Subway Restaurants opened more than 2,100 locations in 2011, adding a total of 21,000 jobs globally. With more than 35,800 franchised locations, Subway has now become the world's largest restaurant chain in terms of number of locations.
McDonald's, which had held the title of world's largest chain since the early 1970s, remains the sales leader, reporting $24 billion in revenue last year. Subway reported $15.2 billion in revenue in 2010.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Subway actually surpassed the number of McDonald's in the U.S. about nine years ago. The sandwich chain expects China to eventually become one of its largest markets. It has 199 restaurants in China now, but expects to have more than 500 by 2015.
Subway's 2011 openings included 1,000 new locations in the U.S. and Canada alone. A big part of the chain's growth came from nontraditional spaces such as convenience stores, department stores, train stations, museums, hotel lobbies and movie theaters.
This year marked the company's 8,000th nontraditional opening. Subway now operates in 98 countries.
The total investment required for a Subway franchise ranges from $83,000 to around $260,000, including a $15,000 initial franchise fee for a 20-year agreement. There is also a royalty fee of 8 per cent.
– Compiled by Kevan O'Brien
from Western Investor February 2012
