Alan Sacco Decelis10 restaurants opened in 2018 as part of four-year €64 million programme
Premier Capital plc, the Maltese-owned developmental licencee for McDonald’s in six European markets, opened 10 new restaurants in 2018 and began its 2019 expansion programme with the inauguration of an additional restaurant in Greece last month. The group will open a total of 13 restaurants this year.
The openings fall under a €64 million investment drive to expand Premier Capital’s restaurant portfolio in the Baltics, Greece, Romania and Malta to 176 restaurants by 2021.
Opened between January 2018 and January 2019, the 11 new restaurants, four of which were inaugurated in Romania in December, bring the total McDonald’s restaurants currently operated by Premier Capital to 147. The group’s staff complement now exceeds 8,200 people. Eight of the new restaurants opened in Romania, four of which with McDrive and McCafe operations. The new restaurant in Lithuania and the additional two in Greece also feature McDrive.
Premier Capital’s modernisation programme continued in 2018 with 22 conversion projects completed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece and Romania. The revamped restaurants feature the latest McDonald’s innovation with self-ordering kiosks, an updated McDonald’s kitchen configuration, and features like table services and upgraded birthday party rooms. The modernisation programme has now been completed across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and is expected to be finished in Romania, Greece and Malta by end 2020.
In 2019, Premier Capital will continue to direct considerable investment and training into ‘Experience of the Future’, McDonald’s revolutionary service model which injects innovation into the customers’ experience as they interact with the brand. More restaurants around the footprint will be remodelled and upgraded, and additional services introduced.
“Our vision for the next three years focuses on broadening customers’ accessibility to McDonald’s, modernising the experience we deliver to them, and remaining committed to our people so that they derive as much reward and advancement in their career with McDonald’s as possible,” Premier Capital Managing Director Victor Tedesco said. “We will do this by running great restaurants, capturing growth opportunities, encouraging new leaders, and reducing complexity in restaurants and in processes.”
Premier Capital’s business continued to grow in 2018, increasing its year-on-year growth momentum. Comparable sales and guest counts surpassed 2017’s figures by 10% and 4% respectively.
McDonald’s Latvia
Premier Capital’s flagship restaurant in the Baltics, at Luna in Riga, Latvia, reopened in April last year following a complete remodelling.
McDonald’s Larissa
Premier Capital’s restaurant network expanded to 147 restaurants with the opening of the McDonald’s at Larissa in Greece. The restaurant was opened by Simona Mancinelli, General Manager of McDonald’s in Greece, and Victor Tedesco, Managing Director of Premier Capital plc, with Greek presenter Evvagelia Aravani.
About Premier Capital
Premier Capital plc is the developmental licencee for McDonald’s in Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Romania. Its current network of 147 restaurants includes several 77 McDrive and 51 McCafe operations, serving more than 118 million customers a year thanks to a staff complement of more than 8,200 people.
Premier Capital plc is the McDonald’s business within Hili Ventures Ltd, the group engaged in multi-sited operations in partnership with McDonald’s and Apple, logistics, engineering, property and technology. Present in 10 countries in central and Eastern Europe and North Africa with a team of 9,000 people, Hili Ventures is a proud partner of CMA CGM, IBM, Konecranes, Lenovo, Microsoft, NCR, Diebold Nixdorf, and many other global brands.