Eagle Boys Express is negotiating a master franchise with a second South Pacific country, as the commuter-targeted franchise continues to boost its international store count. The Brisbane-based chain has 49 stores under its Express format in Australia and five internationally in Papua New Guinea. The business will hit 60 stores in Australia this year, with 16 new stores to open by the end of 2014. The majority of Eagle Boys Express stores operate as concessions in locations targeting busy
commuters, and are run separately to mainline Eagle Boys stores, with a separate management team.
Key segments for the brand include airports, petrol and convenience, cinemas, and leisure centres such bowling alleys.
Major partners include convenience chain, Night Owl, which intends to open more store in store concepts as it rolls out its new and improved stores as part of an extensive refurbishment; Hoyts; and Spotless Group.
Eagle Boys Express also has two outlets at IGA supermarkets in Queensland, with grocery a sector the chain is currently seeking more opportunities in, says Eagle Boys’ Express brand manager, Robin Heslehurst.
“For this calendar year we have 16 Express stores on the books to open between now and December. We’re not really focusing on geography, just on the corporate partnerships,” Heslehurst said.
Hoyts will open another five locations over the next seven months and the company is also in talks with a local RSL club.
“It’s quite feasible to have 200 stores, that will be the target in the medium term, but after that there’s numerous opportunities in regards to segments such as supermarkets, BP, and stadiums.”
Eagle Boys Express
First opened: 2004
Stores: 49
Concessions: 45
Standalones: 4
Footprint: 6sqm to 30sqm
This article first appeared in Inside Retail PREMIUM issue 2005.
