This article is part of NRN's first International Top 25 special report, a ranking of the 25 largest restaurant chains and companies, by worldwide sales, with headquarters outside of the U.S. and Canada. NRN partnered with business intelligence specialist Euromonitor International for this report, which is available in full only to Nation’s Restaurant News magazine subscribers in the August 20 issue. Subscribe here.
Nation's Restaurant News regularly reports on foodservice companies ramping up their international expansion. But many operators in the United States and Canada are unaware of the major foodservice players around the world. Get to know the top five international growth chains based on percentage change in worldwide foodservice sales from 2010 to 2011.
1. Dicos
This Chinese quick-service chain specializes in Western-style food like fried chicken, burgers and fries.
Headquarters: Changhua, Taiwan
Parent company: Ting Hsin International Group
Concept: Chicken Fast Food
2011 worldwide sales: $1.12 billion
2011 worldwide units: 1,214
Sales growth rate: 20.40%
Estimated sales per unit: $988,700
2. Costa Coffee
With its focus on quality, handmade coffee, Costa was the first U.K. coffeeshop to commit to sourcing Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee.
Headquarters: Bedfordshire, England
Parent company: Whitbread PLC
Concept: Coffee Shop
2011 worldwide sales: $1.44 billion
2011 worldwide units: 2,113
Sales growth rate: 16.95%
Estimated sales per unit: $729,000
3. Nando's
The fast-casual chicken chain offers food from a Mozambiquan-Portuguese tradition. It has locations in 30 countries.
Headquarters: Johannesburg, South Africa
Parent company: Nando’s Group Holdings Ltd.
Concept: Chicken Fast Food
2011 worldwide sales: $1.02 billion
2011 worldwide units: 990
Sales growth rate: 16.48%
Estimated sales per unit: $1.07 million
4. Sukiya
This concept specializes in gyudon and donburi, which are rice-bowl dishes, as well as curry.
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Parent company: Zensho Holdings Co. Ltd.
Concept: Asian Fast Food
2011 worldwide sales: $2.13 billion
2011 worldwide units: 1,748
Sales growth rate: 12.00%
Estimated sales per unit: $1.30 million
5. Akindo Sushiro
The chain is known for affordable sushi and its conveyor belt, self-serve operation.
Headquarters: Osaka, Japan
Parent company: Akindo Sushiro Co. Ltd.
Concept: Asian Fast Food
2011 worldwide sales: $1.06 billion
2011 worldwide units: 327
Sales growth rate: 11.01%
Estimated sales per unit: $3.42 million
RELATED: International Top 25 methodology
Note: All data, except estimated sales per unit numbers, were provided by Euromonitor International. Estimated sales per unit data were supplied by NRN Research.
