Health food franchise Raw Energy has opened two new cafs in the last two months and plans to open a further store before the end of this financial year.
Toowoomba and Wollongong have both welcomed a Raw Energy cafe, with the latter the first for the franchise in New South Wales. The NSW franchisees have also signed on as the master franchisees for the state.
Brisbane City is expected to be open in June.
These new stores equate to a 50 percent growth rate for the franchise, taking its total number of stores from six to nine.
Raw Energy managing director Matt Hope said the aim is to increase store numbers threefold over the next five years, expanding the franchise network from nine to 30 by 2020.
“We’re seeing a year-on-year increase in consumer numbers in our stores, and the food retail sector is the second largest industry accounting for 18 percent of all franchised business,” he said.
“Over the past five years the popularity and custom at our cafes has grown significantly. In the past I put our success down to fitting a coastal way of life, but it is actually in line with a greater market shift towards healthier eating and living, which makes me confident regional and metro city areas will also embrace the concept.”
Hope said there are opportunities to invest in a franchise in Queensland and New South Wales.