March 10, 2010

Industry Headlines 

International Pizza Expo 2010  wraps up

Last week, the Las Vegas Convention Center was abuzz with the 26th annual International Pizza Expo. The industry's oldest, largest and most respected trade show took place March 1-3 with nearly 1,000 exhibitors and close to 6,000 attendees.

"For three days, International Pizza Expo was lively and action-packed," says Pizza Today editor-in-chief Jeremy White. "The final attendance numbers aren't in yet, but we're going to be very close to last year, if not over. It sure seemed busier to me. I was awed by the amount of action and the number of people. It was a truly remarkable show. I can't wait to do it again next year! The Pizza Expo crew really rocked it out for 2010."

Approximately 70 educational seminars, two keynote addresses, the World Pizza Games, the Rockin' Party, a $20,000 MEGABUCKS giveaway and the International Pizza Challenge all worked in concert to draw large crowds, White says.

Chef Theo Kalogeracos of Perth, Australia, claimed first in the non-traditional category of the International Pizza Challenge, which netted him $10,000. He then took the win (worth $5,000) in the blind-box competition, which pits the top two finishers in both the traditional and non-traditional categories against one another in a timed contest that requires the competitors to work from a pre-determined list of ingredients. Additionally, each competitor was required to use a secret ingredient — this year's must-have was grilled chicken.

"Both of Theo's pies were fantastic, so I can see why the judges loved them," says White. "His dessert pizza in the non-traditional contest was particularly inventive. There were a lot of good entries, so the judges had a tough time this year. But I think they did well by selecting Theo's creations. They were both truly winners."

For a list of contest winners and a recap of International Pizza Expo 2010, see the upcoming May issue of Pizza Today.

Marco's announces promotion

Toledo, Ohio-based Marco's Pizza recently announced the promotion of Mike Jaynes to vice president of sales and product integrity from vice president of sales, research and development. In his new role, Jaynes leads the Marco's Product Team in approving ingredients and products for the entire franchise, including all products delivered by the company's distribution service, Marco's Pizza Distribution, which launched in January.

"Mike Jaynes maintains a rigorous focus on the quality of Marco's ingredients, recipes and procedures," says Marco's CEO Jack Butorac. "Because Marco's Pizza will more than quadruple its store count in the coming years, maintaining product consistency and quality is of utmost importance as we grow. Mike will provide tremendous leadership as vice president of sales and product integrity because of his operational experience at Marco's Pizza, his passion for product quality and his creative eye for new ideas."
 

Shakey's Pizza returns to Hawaii after three decades

It's been 30 years since Shakey's Pizza operated in Hawaii, but that changed at the end of February when franchisee Brad Vanderman opened a store on the island of Oahu.

"It's meant to be," says Vanderman. "Even though it's been 30 years since Shakey's operated on the island, people still have incredibly fond memories of the brand. Before we even opened, customers, as well as media, [were] anxiously anticipating our grand opening."

Two more Shakey's units will open in Hawaii in the next few years.

Pizza Today to name Chain of the Year soon

Now that International Pizza Expo is finished for another year, the editors of Pizza Today are hard at work taking a look at which pizza chains have dazzled over the past 12 months. Store growth, comp sales, marketing effectiveness, franchisor-franchisee relations, new innovations and the amount of "buzz" a company generated over the last year are just some of the items the editors take into consideration when picking the Chain of the Year.

Pizza Today began naming a Chain of the Year in 2001. To date, Papa Murphy's Pizza has taken the honor a record four times (2001, 2006, 2008, 2009). Other winners are: CiCi's Pizza (2002), Domino's Pizza (2003), Hungry Howie's (2004), LaRosa's (2005) and Papa John's (2007).

"As of today, we have it narrowed down to two finalists — and they've both won previously," says tight-lipped Pizza Today editor-in-chief Jeremy White. "That's about all I'll say about the two finalists. The selection process has been fun. To be honest, it hasn't been as difficult in 2010 as in previous years. The fact of the matter is that there simply aren't as many pizza chains that performed to a high level in this recession. So we started with a smaller base than usual, because if your sales are down you aren't given consideration. We'll probably make an announcement in the Hot Slice and on Twitter about a week or two before our June issue is released. Internally, we'll have our selection made by the end of next week. We need time to visit the winner for interviews and photography, and our designers need time to perfect the layout."

Who will win the coveted award for 2010? Stay tuned.

Domino's Pizza announces 2009 financial results

Last week, Ann Arbor-based Domino's Pizza announced results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2009, each ended January 3, 2010. During the fourth quarter, the company's domestic same-store sales grew 1.4 percent as a result of increased store traffic. International comps rose 3.9 percent, marking the 64th consecutive quarter of growth.

On the year as a whole, domestic stores were up 0.5 percent, while international units enjoyed a 4.3 percent upswing.

David A. Brandon, Domino's chairman and former CEO (Brandon left his post this week to head the athletics department at the University of Michigan, his alma mater), says: "The bold steps we have been taking to re-ignite our domestic system helped us gain significant traction last year. We succeeded in our primary goal of growing traffic all four quarters of 2009. Traffic growth was the most significant in the fourth quarter; and this positive momentum has continued thus far in 2010, as sales and traffic have increased significantly since the launch of our new core pizza."