MADRID — Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Brands Corp., has announced plans to begin building an additional 45 restaurants in Spain. In partnership with its franchisee Casual Brands Group of Madrid, the addition of the restaurants is expected to bring more than 900 jobs to the local economy, Taco Bell said.
By 2020, Spain will be home to more than 70 Taco Bell restaurants and will be the largest market in Europe.
Casual Brands Group has partnered with Taco Bell since 2008. The group owns and operates all Taco Bell locations in Spain, as well as Juan Valdez Café and Delina’s.
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| Ignacio Mora-Figueroa, CEO of Casual Brands Group |
“I am passionate about Taco Bell and what the brand stands for,” said Ignacio Mora-Figueroa, CEO of Casual Brands Group. “My team is committed to providing más flavor, más value, más enjoyment and más life to all of our fans.”
In addition to Madrid, Casual Brands has built Taco Bell restaurants in Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and, most recently, Seville. In 2015 alone, Taco Bell and Casual Brands Group added 10 new locations, and there will be 31 Taco Bell restaurants across Spain by the end of 2016.
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| Melissa Lora, president of Taco Bell International |
“We are thrilled to continue our restaurant development in Spain alongside Ignacio, who has shown his commitment to investing and growing our brand since day one,” said Melissa Lora, president of Taco Bell International. “We’ve seen immense enthusiasm from our Spanish fans over the past eight years and know they will continue to celebrate our Live Más spirit as we expand to more communities across the country.”
Spain was the first country to serve beer in its Taco Bell restaurants. Now, the restaurants are introducing tapas-style happy hour promotions that showcase the brand’s ability to leverage local insights to create unique market specials. Spain’s Tuesday Taco Happy Day has now become a regular part of customers’ weekly routines and continues to drive increased trial and loyalty for the brand, the company said.
Taco Bell currently has more than 330 restaurants (including military bases) across 26 markets outside of the United States. The company has a goal of expanding the brand’s international presence to 1,000 restaurants by 2022.
Domestically, Taco Bell and its franchisees operate more than 7,000 restaurants, generating more than $9 billion in sales. By 2022, the brand plans to become a $15 billion company in global system sales with 9,000 restaurants globally.
