Lenard's founder, Lenard Poulter, has “exciting new ideas” for growing his business.
Mr. Poulter's vision encompasses a number of "new opportunities" for current and new franchisees, including Hub and Spoke (Ready To Go) stores.
This new model is available to both current and new franchisees. Instead of buying a point of sale, franchisees can invest in a specific area or territory and set up a hub business. The hub business can either be a small production facility or a so-called Lenard serve-over outlet with a production area. The hub produces and delivers prepackaged products to the Ready To Go stores in the area.
The new Ready To Go stores have self-service fridges and a modern design and offer the traditional Lenard range as well as new ready-to-cook meals.
Mr. Poulter has already opened four Ready To Go stores in Brisbane (Capalaba, Fairfield, Lutwyche and Mitchelton). The Townsville franchisee has also opened the first ready-to-go store outside of Brisbane in Fairfield Central.
The rotisserie concept
Lenard's rotisserie store, opened in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane in late 2019, provided consumers with fried chicken with salad, vegetables or french fries, as well as other dishes such as meatballs, chicken rolls and curries, and consumers could either take out or dine in.
There was also a small selection of products from the ready-made range that customers could take home to cook for themselves. Covid-19 got this concept under control, but the systems and processes are now ready to move into other areas.
“The rotisserie concept has proven to be very valuable,” says Poulter.
“This enabled us to gain valuable insights and feedback from customers.
“The frozen products in our ready-to-go stores were also a win-win situation, as they brought more flexibility into the business and were very popular with customers.
"We now plan to focus more on oven-ready meals, build this new business concept nationally, and improve it with home delivery in the near future."
Lenard's history and progress
In 33 years, Mr. Poulter built a chain of more than 200 stores across Australia.
Then, in 2010, personal circumstances forced him to sell part of his stake and move away from day-to-day business operations. The franchisees began to move on.
In 2018, Mr. Poulter acquired investor interest, Blue Sky, to acquire 100% of the shares in the business that bears his name. Now, with the support of new shareholders, he is determined to reach even greater heights.
"This is an exciting opportunity for our current 30 franchisees and everyone who wants to capitalize on our proven track record and established, popular Lenard & # 39; s Chicken brand," he says.
"We are committed to providing our customers with convenience and quality products at affordable prices. This is a great opportunity for potential franchisees to step into the ground floor."
