Sandwich Business Booming

NEW YORK -- Call them what you will -- clubs, gyros, melts, po'boys, muffalettas, wraps or subs -- Americans' love of sandwiches created a market worth more than $121 billion in 2005, according to Sandwiches in the U.S.: Foodservice and Retail Market and Trends, the latest market research from Packaged Facts.

The sandwich market is projected to continue to grow exponentially, due in part to the major success of sandwich chains, such as Subway, which realized the greatest revenue growth from 2003 to 2005, while at the same time added units faster than any other sandwich segment, the research showed.

During the four-month period of August through November 2006, the Subway sandwich chain opened 766 new restaurants in 45 countries around the globe, including 425 locations in 46 U.S. states and eight Canadian provinces. Of those new franchises, 69 were opened inside convenience stores and another 69 opened inside Wal-Mart stores from coast to coast.

Sandwiches continue to be a dominant force in c-stores, as well as at burger joints (which account for 45 percent of the sandwich market), restaurants, warehouse clubs and other retail outlets. Sandwiches make up 25 percent of the total U.S. foodservice sales.

"With the introduction of paninis and international flavor profiles, the opportunity to raise sandwiches to a new art form has taken place, as even local delis and convenience stores have begun to upscale and add health-infused ingredients to their sandwich arsenals," said Don Montuori, publisher of Packaged Facts. "Sales in retail outlets now surpass sandwich chains, and restaurants sales, which dominate the market with more than half of sandwich revenues, show no signs of slowing up."

Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer industries, including food, beverage and demographics.
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