Closure of iconic Lenard’s Toowoomba outlet opens door for new business opportunity

The closure of a long-established Toowoomba business has paved the way for a new franchise opportunity in the region.

Established in 2006, the Lenard’s Chicken Clifford Gardens Shopping Centre store ceased trading recently after 16 years of operation.

“From all of us at Lenard's, we thank Trevor and his family for their years as part of the Lenard's team. Trevor purchased the store in 2011 from the first owner and led the store to become one of our most successful stores ever, winning multiple Franchise Owner of the Year awards,” said Lenard’s CEO and owner, Lenard Poulter.

"Trevor had plans to hand the store over to his son to keep the business in the family, but was unable to come to an agreement with the centre.

"This is very disappointing, but it now presents an opportunity for a new franchisee to take a hold of our new business model, including manufacturing and home delivery."

Queensland-based success story, Lenard’s underwent a massive change in 2020, with founder Mr Poulter unveiling a fresh strategy for the iconic poultry franchise including a grab-and-go model for consumers, and hub and spoke stores for franchisees.

Instead of only having the option to set up a traditional store outlet, franchisees can now invest in a particular territory or area and set up a small manufacturing facility that services multiple smaller stores (including serve-over or ready-to-go stores), independent supermarkets, as well as offer home delivery.

The manufacturing facility can produce and supply pre-packaged products to the Ready To Go stores located within the territory, in effect creating a small-scale supply chain.

The new Ready To Go (grab-and-go) stores include self-service fridges and a modern design, and offer the Lenard’s traditional range as well as new ready-to-heat frozen meals. There is also opportunity for the pre-packaged products to be home delivered to customers in the area.

Franchisees can stock products at independent supermarkets, similar to what Lenard's Head Office already does at Drakes High Street Plaza at Rangeville and The Local Grocer IGA at Westbrook.

The idea sprung from lessons learned from the chain’s ‘Rotisserie’ concept store, which offered rotisserie chickens, salad, vegetables, chips as well as meals such as meatballs, chicken rolls and curries, and consumers could either take-away or dine-in. It also had a small selection of products from the Ready To Go range which customers could take home to cook themselves.

“The Rotisserie concept allowed us to gain valuable insights and feedback from customers,” said Mr Poulter.

“We’re aiming to replicate the Rotisserie concept in different locations throughout the country.

“The frozen products in our Ready To Go stores have also been a win-win as they introduced more flexibility into the business as well as being very popular with customers.”

Covid-19 put a hold on this concept but the systems and processes are now ready to launch into other territories, including Toowoomba.

“We now plan to put more focus on oven-ready meals, to build this new business concept nationally and enhance it with home delivery in the near future,” said Mr Poulter.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our 30 current franchisees and anyone wanting to avail themselves of our proven track record and the well-established, much-loved Lenard’s brand,

“We’re committed to providing our customers with convenience and high-quality products at affordable prices, so this is a great opportunity for potential franchisees to get in on the ground floor.”

For more information about Lenard’s, please visit: https://www.lenards.com.au

ENDS

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