Competition was set aside in the name of gourmet pizza recently as over 150 franchisees representing more than 200 Pizza Capers and Crust Gourmet Pizza outlets across Australia converged on the Gold Coast for the Retail Food Group (“RFG”) inaugural Quick Service Restaurant (“QSR”) Pizza Conference.
Australia’s largest multi-food franchise operator, RFG, acquired Pizza Capers in April 2012 and Crust Gourmet Pizza in October 2012.
The conference was held over two days and was designed to bring the two brands together after their transition into the publicly listed Company, as well as to define the strategy moving forward under the same ownership.
QSR Divisional Director Michael Logos said that it was a great opportunity to bring key stakeholders together in an open forum to discuss the strategic future for the gourmet pizza brands.
“The conference was a great opportunity to bring Pizza Capers and Crust franchisees, marketing teams and management teams together and outline the strategy for the QSR Division moving forward,” Mr Logos said.
“It allowed us to answer questions and address concerns relating to the coexistence of both brands.”
While often viewed as competitors in the marketplace, Mr Logos said the conference allowed RFG to investigate the synergies between Pizza Capers and Crust.
“RFG believes in ‘strength in brands’ and Pizza Capers and Crust now have access to greater economies of scale, knowledge and resources, a broader focus and the benefits that come from a larger support team, which will undoubtedly strengthen each brand and foster new growth,” he said.
“The overall sentiment was very positive from both sets of franchisees and we are all excited for the future of gourmet pizza with these two strong brands at the forefront of the gourmet QSR market.”