Subway franchisee-owned European Independent Purchasing Company (EIPC) has revealed that production of the Subway brand’s cookies has moved to Europe for the first time.
The cookies for the sandwich shop chain will now be produced at the Aryzta bakery in entral Germany, before being distributed by EIPC to more than 4,500 Subway outlets across Europe. The bakery will make more than 100m Subway cookies a year and different varieties of the Subway brand’s own-label cookies, such as chocolate chips, raspberry cheesecake and oatmeal raisin.
The move will seek to facilitate the fast food chain’s rapid expansion in the region, with the number of Subway stores Europe-wide expected to reach 8,000 by 2020. There are currently 4,500 stores on the continent. Subway UK and Ireland area development manager Greg Madigan spoke to FoodBev in January after the opening of its 2,000th store, and underlined the company’s commitment to European growth by revealing plans for a further 1,000 stores during the next five years.
The new bakery in Gerolzhofen, northwest of Nuremberg, marks the first time that Subway cookies have been produced outside the US.
EIPC purchasing director Mike Attwood said: “We are delighted to have moved the production of the Subway brand’s famous cookies to Europe for the first time. We’ve been working towards this milestone for many months, as we continue to seek the most innovative and efficient procurement methods for Subway franchisees across Europe, without comprising the quality or great taste that the brand is known for around the world. The new bakery will be a huge asset to our supply chain, with faster response rates and reduced distribution times, enabling us to better serve the franchisees. We completed a period of rigorous testing at the bakery, and production has now officially started. We hope the bakery will prove a great success and asset to EIPC’s management of the Subway brand’s supply chain in Europe.”
Aryzta bakery managing director Frank Kleiner added: “Aryzta has been a global bread and cookie supplier for the Subway brand for more than 20 years. The change to produce in Germany is also a key partnership commitment from Aryzta to help the brand grow in markets that continue to open new stores and fuel brand growth in this, the Subway brand’s 50th anniversary year.”
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