Marco’s Franchising, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brand franchises, announced a 50-unit master franchise agreement marking its debut in Mexico City as international development takes center stage in 2024.
Behind the development is Grupo Pizza Amantes SA de CV, a Mexican company run by four business partners. With the three principals having more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant, hospitality and retail industry, Grupo Pizza Amantes has been appointed as the master franchisee for Mexico City. The team is currently in the process of building out a site and is seeking both traditional and nontraditional units, with the first store projected to open in Q2 2024.
“This is a historic moment for the Marco’s brand,” said Gerardo Flores, chief development officer of Marco’s Pizza. “The announcement highlights our commitment to growing our international footprint, specifically in Mexico, which is one of the most vibrant QSR markets today. Mexico shares several demographic profiles as the United States, and with a business-friendly environment and acceptance of U.S. brands, this is an ideal market for our continued international expansion efforts.”
Marco’s currently operates 60-plus locations across the Bahamas and Puerto Rico with a master franchisee for the Caribbean. Company leadership is expecting strong penetration in the United States to continue and is now strategically targeting international development to fuel growth in 2024. Near-term opportunities exist most abundantly in the LATAM region with future sights set on Middle East, Europe and Canada.
“Our successful expansions in the Caribbean reinforced the global appeal of our brand, and we’re confident in the Grupo Pizza Amantes team and their ability to grow our brand presence in Mexico City,” said Tony Libardi, co-CEO and president of Marco’s Franchising. “Marco’s is currently undergoing some of our greatest expansion to date. We now have more than 180 stores in various stages of development and hundreds of agreements signed.”
