Freshly Chopped signs six-figure deal as it expands to Cyprus

Freshly Chopped, the rapidly expanding Dublin-headquartered healthy food retailer, has signed a six-figure franchise deal to open new stores in Cyprus as it continues to expand overseas.

Founded by Brian Lee and Andy Chen in 2012, the group currently has 30 stores in Ireland, 20 of which are franchisees.

It recently secured its first store in London, which is expected to open shortly. It intends to open at another five locations in England early next year.

Freshly Chopped will be opening two new stores in Cyprus initially, one in Nicosia and a secondin Larnaca. The move comes after the signing of an area licensing agreement covering Cyprus and Greece with Karen Polyviou, who runs a family-owned business with extensive retail franchise experience.

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A number of other stores are to be rolled out across the island in the coming years by Ms Polyviou, who discovered the Chopped “healthy fast food concept” while travelling through Dublin Airport.

"We're proud that we have proven the concept in Ireland and built a loyal following from our customers. Our first outlet in Cyprus mark a significant step in our journey but this is still just the beginning. Our ultimate dream is to be as big as McDonalds, with a Freshly Chopped on every street corner across the globe. We're hoping to see this happen sooner rather than later and we're in advanced talks to see Freshly Chopped outlets opening in even more countries across the world," said Mr Lee, a former EY Entrepreneur of the Year award finalist.

The company, which employs 450 people in Ireland, entered into a partnership with catering group Aramark last year.

Freshly Chopped’s goal is to offer healthy takeaway options for customers, through a range of salads, wraps, sandwiches and soups.