Conrad van de Klundert sees a healthy future for the Reload chain. Photo / City Life
A New Zealand juice bar owner is setting up a chain of 100 "healthy fast food" stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which he claims will turn over about $1 million a store.
The South Island-based Reload chain will make its first foray into Europe when it
opens a store in Glasgow this week.
It says it will be the first of 100 stores, each with a turnover of £350,000.
Reload, registered with the Companies Office in 2001, is owned by New Zealander Conrad van de Klundert.
It plans to tackle established fast food companies such as Subway and existing juice bars, with a range of fresh salads, sandwiches and wraps.
The outlet will be situated in Centre West shopping centre in East Kilbride, the Scotsman reported.
Further stores, the franchise for which has been bought by local entrepreneur Keith Stark, will open in Edinburgh as well as the rest of the UK and Ireland.
Van de Klundert hoped eventually to employ up to 300 staff in the stores: "We have been working towards this opening for the last 6 1/2 months.
"Keith came over to New Zealand and decided he wanted to start it up here."
Stores have been started in Australia and China as well as New Zealand, and other stores are being opened in Singapore.
"We are trying to change the eating style in as many places as possible, from fast food to healthy food," he said. "We are growing at exactly the rate we want to."
Stark - whose family runs a pram store in Glasgow - plans to open 12 stores within a year, including around five in Edinburgh, promoting them as a one-stop "health fuel" shop, selling freshly squeezed juice, smoothies and salads.
He started to research the possibility of opening a Scottish chain of health food stores after a visit to New Zealand five years ago.
"I wasn't sure if the time was right for that kind of thing in Scotland," he said.
"Then, last year, I came across Reload on the internet," Stark told the Scotsman.
"Within a week of finding out about the company, I was on a plane to New Zealand to meet its founder, Conrad van de Klundert."
- NZPA
