SUBWAY SANDWICH PHASE 1: IDENTIFYING PROBLEM
Subway is a franchise sandwich store that has been established in the market since 1965. They have been famous for their classic sandwich combinations and also their customization of sandwiches that meets customer's specific needs. Currently Subway is the largest Sandwich franchise in the world and has a total of 30,272 Stores in 87 countries around the world. Thailand is one of the countries that hold a Subway Sandwich franchise license.
In Thailand, there are currently 23 Subway stores located in the major large metropolitans and tourist areas, which include Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Samui, and Krabi. Here is a chart showing the current numbers of Subway available in different areas of Thailand:
THAILAND ( 2008 )
NUMBERS OF STORES
BANGKOK
9
CHIANG MAI
1
PHUKET
5
PATTAYA
5
HUA HIN
1
SAMUI
1
KRABI
1
TOTAL
23 Stores
Source: www.subway.com
Subway targets consumers ranging from 18 - 45 Years old, where business workers are their main consumers. Subway has been targeting mostly foreigners when it was started in 2003. Where they targeted for 80% foreigners and 20% local consumers. This is because when it was first start, only foreigners know about the brand Subway. Subway aims to turn this around where they would like to target 80% local consumers and 20% foreigners by the year 2010. Moreover, they also target to open 140 stores throughout Thailand to increase its exposure and convenience for their local consumers.
Currently, it cost approximately $72,000 USD (2,592,000 Baht) - $192,000 USD (6,912,000 Baht) to start up a Subway Franchise, where Subway franchise is also separated into 3 types; Lower Cost, Moderate Cost, and Higher Cost. Lower Cost is considered to have fewer leaseholds, fewer seats, and fewer equipments, where for Moderate & Higher cost franchise are the ones that requires extensive interiors, extensive seating's, and extensive equipments.