Pair seal Oporto NZ deal

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Grilled chicken burger joint Oporto (New Zealand) has been sold to an Auckland couple who want to turn the fast-food chain into a drive-through mega business.

Oporto has sold its New Zealand arm to the Adison Group, owned by Bhushan and Jasmine Arolkar, who have been heavily involved in the operation of the company here.

The Arolkars already own two stores, one in Palmerston North and one in Tauranga, and want to open another 25, on top of the current 10, within the next five years.

The 10th store, in Queen St, Auckland, will open its doors on Thursday.

Bhushan Arolkar would not disclose how much he had bought Oporto (New Zealand) for, citing a confidentiality clause with the company's parent.

"The company started in Australia in 1986 and has had tremendous growth. There are over 100 stores in Australia - most of them in New South Wales. They have opened a branch in China that is doing extremely well.

"They have three shops in the UK, one at Victoria Station in London, one in Birmingham and one is set to open in the next week. The company is going to expand into California."

Arolkar said he would open another three stores in Auckland next year.

Expansion plans include Wellington in 2012 and Queenstown and Christchurch in 2013. Arolkar said the success of the business depended on how well the individual stores were managed by the franchisees.

"Over the next five years we want to reach the 35-store mark across the country. That is our aim. We want to grow through the franchising model, and we want franchisees to be owner/operators.

"That's where we get the passion and the commitment from. We don't invite investors to come in and run it through a staff model, largely because we believe the passion of serving customers comes from individual ownership. Getting the right mix of franchisees is sometimes hard."

Oporto claims to be a healthier fast-food restaurant - it serves only grilled and rotisserie chicken, cooked in very little oil, Arolkar said.

"We wanted to be a part of changing the fast-food playing field in New Zealand by providing a healthier alternative that specialised in chicken burgers."