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Sandwich chain coming to Martin County

FAIRMONT – The Martin County Economic Development Authority (EDA) heard a report from business development group Retail Coach during its meeting on Monday.

Kyle Cofer from Retail Coach said he enjoys giving the EDA reports when there is good news. He said he had one of those reports, with a confirmed opening of a national sandwich franchise location in Martin County.

“We recently got a commitment from the franchisee,” Cofer said. “We’re extremely happy about that. We do not have a current timeline on when that is expected to take place. We’re super proud and excited to announce that and play a role in helping that business get to the market.”

That is the only confirmation they have thus far, but there is more in the pipeline. Cofer said the closest groups they’re looking to reach a deal with are two junior box clothing stores.

“These are users that we’ve been working with very closely for about a year now,” Cofer said. “They’re very high on everyone’s list from when we started. If we’re able to land these two users, it’s going to spur a lot of growth in the market. We’re working very diligently on this. We’re putting a ton of focus on these two users and doing what we can to get them to the market.”

Two options are further down the line, but Cofer said look promising. One of these is a grocer, which Cofer said is looking to expand at an opportune time for them.

“This is a grocer that had shown some interest in the market years ago,” he said. “They recently announced they’re getting quite a few stores over the next handful of years. We’ve been continuing to pass information along to them. No positive commitment yet, but economic development on the retail improvement side is a long-term goal. We’re continuing to chip away.”

The other is a pizza chain looking for a 1,400-1,800 square feet building. Cofer said they’re not looking to make a new building, opening up opportunities for currently vacant buildings.

“They typically look for an in-line space,” he said. “They will do things outside the box and look at a re-development opportunity with a building that served use of some other sort. We’re continuing to work with this user, but they have told us that they have a market point and do want to be in the market.”

Cofer said several other businesses from quick-service burgers to coffee have also shown some interest. He said the major issue they have to overcome is the lack of a nearby franchisee who can run the store.

“It’s always easiest to find and get interest from the operator that owns and operates the closest location,” Cofer said. “That’s easier [over] having to facilitate from the ground up to find a local franchisee.”

Over Cofer’s entire presentation, Martin County EDA Chairman Wes Anderson said he counted 11 potential businesses interested in Martin County. He said having that amount of interest was good news, which Cofer agreed with.

No motions were made, as a quorum of members was not present.

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