Covelli Expands Panera Footprint in North Carolina

WARREN, Ohio – Covelli Enterprises announced Wednesday that it has acquired 15 Panera Bread bakery-cafes in North Carolina and owner/operator Sam Covelli said he already is looking at expanding in that market.

The purchase of the bakery-cafes in the Tarheel State, previously owned by Show Me Bread Inc., follows Covelli’s acquisition of 22 bakery-cafes in South Carolina and Georgia at the end of 2016.

“We had most of the South Carolina market and we wanted to get as much as we could of North Carolina. It was a great opportunity,” Covelli said. “There’s a lot of growth there and we can keep opening stores there. It’s underdeveloped.”

Covelli Enterprises is Panera’s largest franchisee, with 315 cafes that include the 15 the company just acquired in markets that encompass High Point, Greensboro, Winston Salem, Kernersville, Mooresville, Clemmons, Boone, Hickory, Salisbury and Burlington.

Covelli can open another 10 Panera cafes in North Carolina, he said. He also said he is looking for other acquisitions.

“There’s more opportunities out there and we’re going to continue to grow,” he stated.

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