Inspire completes purchase of Jimmy John’sInspire completes purchase of Jimmy John’s

Inspire Brands has completed its acquisition of Jimmy John’s Sandwiches, expanding its restaurant brand portfolio to more than $14 billion in annual systemwide sales, the company said Friday.

Atlanta-based Inspire Brands said the acquisition the Champaign, Ill.-based Jimmy John’s, announced in September, makes it the fourth largest restaurant company in the United States, with more than 11,200 restaurants that include the casual-dining Buffalo Wild Wings as well as quick-service Arby’s, Sonic Drive-In and Rusty Taco.

“We are excited to officially welcome Jimmy John’s to our growing family of brands,” said Paul Brown, Inspire CEO, in a statement. “The team members and franchisees at Jimmy John’s should be incredibly proud of the company they’ve helped create, and we look forward to building on their success as we continue to drive innovation and long-term growth at Jimmy John’s.”

James North has been named president of the Jimmy John’s brand, reporting to Brown, and concept founder Jimmy John Liautaud is serving as an adviser.

“Jimmy John’s is thrilled to join the Inspire family,” North said. “Our guests, team members and franchisees will benefit greatly from Inspire’s significant scale and investments in industry-leading capabilities, and we look forward to working alongside the Inspire team to fuel future growth for the Jimmy John’s brand.”

Related:Why Inspire Brands bought Jimmy John’s

Jimmy John’s has more than 2,800 restaurants in 43 states and about $2.1 billion in annual system sales, the company said. That adds to Inspire’s existing portfolio of:

Inspire, which is majority owned by affiliates of Atlanta-based Roark Capital, was created in February 2018 after Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. completed a $2.9 billion acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.

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