Wendy’s sold to global restaurant management firm Flynn

The New Zealand business of burger restaurant chain Wendy’s has been sold to US franchise operator Flynn Group, marking the company’s first change in ownership in more than three decades.

The Lendich family, which has operated the franchise since 1988, put it up for sale in June 2022. The franchise includes 22 restaurants with 12 stores in Auckland, eight in other parts of the North Island, and two on the South Island.

“The acquisition of Wendy’s New Zealand represented a compelling opportunity to continue our growth ambitions internationally and to expand our strong partnership with the much-loved Wendy’s brand,” said Ron Bellamy, COO at Flynn Group.

“Our immediate priority will be to collaborate with the existing team to determine how we can best leverage our scale and capabilities to build on their success as we enter this next chapter of growth together.”

With the purchase, Flynn is now the sole franchisee for Wendy’s in Australia and New Zealand. Phil Reed has been appointed president of Flynn ANZ to oversee operations in the two countries.

Flynn plans to retain the current operations and support teams of Wendy’s New Zealand. The company also intends to expand the brand in the market, which will create more job and career advancement opportunities.

Flynn purchased the master franchise licence for Pizza Hut in Australia in June last year and entered into a master franchise agreement with Wendy’s in Australia in August.

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