LeBron James investing in pizza franchise Blaze
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Loading..."I believe in the company. I believe in their vision. I believe in what they're all about, the authenticity of how they make pizza, how they run their business, and I wanted to be a part of it," James said. "You know, I'm excited to be partnering with them."LeBron James has decided to leave guaranteed endorsement income on the table for a potentially much bigger piece of the pie down the road.
James has decided not to renew his option with McDonald's; he will lend his name and marketing power to fast-casual pizza franchise Blaze.
In 2012, James became an original investor in the parent company, which is one of the stronger players in the assembly-line pizza concept.
Together with Larry Levy of Levy Restaurants and his business manager, Maverick Carter, James locked up franchise rights in Miami and Chicago.
The company currently has 88 locations. Wetzel said the brand will open up a restaurant once every four days, which will allow Blaze to have more than 200 locations by next year. The company has sold the franchise rights to the entire United States to 44 groups, including the rights in Kentucky, Tennessee and part of Florida to former NBA player Junior Bridgeman, who already owns more than 100 Wendy's and 100 Chili's restaurants. The average all-in price for a single location is around $660,000, Wetzel said.
ESPN
Trader Velizar Mitov
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