Answer Woman: What's opening in the former Subway locations in Asheville? Chain closing?
ASHEVILLE - Two readers ask about development plans for former Subway locations and the company’s future. Email Executive Editor Karen Chávez at KChavez@citizentimes.com and your question could appear in an upcoming column.
Questions: What new restaurant is being constructed on the site where the old Subway used to be at 740 Merrimon Ave, across from McDonald’s?
What happened to the Subway on New Leicester Highway across from the CVS? I noticed this one and a Subway on Merrimon closed. Is the chain going out of business? What will be going into the building on New Leicester?
Answer: Subway’s closings have allowed room for new, fresh development opportunities at the two properties in question.
Subway, established in 1965, has nearly 37,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. They are owned and operated by franchisees.
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More than 1,000 net U.S. locations closed in 2021 and 1,609 in 2020, according to Reuters, leaving 20,576 total Subway restaurants in the U.S. by the end of 2022. The closures were attributed to “over-expansion, outdated operations and decor, stale menus and $5 footlong deals that eroded franchisees' profits.”
However, the fast-food chain isn’t planning to close shop anytime soon.
In April, Subway announced its ninth consecutive quarter of positive sales, and its strategic development campaign designed to “boost franchisee profitability and protect the brand's position in the market.” The company’s goal is to open new locations across North America by approximately 35% in 2023 versus 2022, according to a news release.
“This year, an additional 3,600 locations across North America are expected to be remodeled, taking the total number of restaurants in the current Subway image to more than 10,000 by this summer. As a result of its efforts, in April 2023, the brand achieved its highest weekly average unit volume since 2010,” the news release stated.
As for the Subway’s foothold on the Asheville market, although these two locations were shuttered at 325 New Leicester Highway and 740 Merrimon Ave., there are still dozens of Subway restaurants open in the city and across Western North Carolina.
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Subway at 325 New Leicester Highway was part of a retail storefront that is currently pending a sale to Kodiak Net Lease Development. Real estate partner Sharon Thurner said the plan is to demolish the building and construct five new commercial buildings.
The current retail strip has four suites and any remaining tenants have been or will be relocated to another property by the seller.
The proposed development will be leased for a car wash, retail and restaurants. Big Peach Car Wash and Big Peach Express Oil Change have committed, and a coffee concept is in negotiation. The remaining two buildings are available. Interested parties may contact Thurner at 704-609-2330.
Subway at 740 Merrimon Ave., a standalone brick-and-mortar, is owned by a local developer, Peter Thom, who is renovating the building’s interior and exterior. Thom was unavailable to confirm plans for the site at the time of publication. But we'll keep trying to find out his exact plans, and we'll have an update in a future Answer Woman column.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Subway locations closed, new development planned in Asheville
