
Papa Murphy’s, the “take-and-bake” pizza chain, has big plans for central Arkansas as it seeks to expand throughout the Midwest and South, says its chief development officer, Jayson Tipp.
Tipp said that in the last 18 months, the company, based in Vancouver, Washington, has been placing greater emphasis on the Little Rock area, which currently has two locations, in Little Rock and Bryant. Four Papa Murphy’s sites are in development now in the Little Rock area, he said.
“Our short-term target over the next three to five years is to get Little Rock to 20 stores,” Tipp said. “We might get all the way there in less than five years. Long-term, if Little Rock ends up being as strong for us as our most mature markets in the Pacific Northwest, we could have 35 or 40 stores in Little Rock.”
As for Fort Smith and Fayetteville, “that’s a future growth market,” he said.
Papa Murphy’s, which has more than 1,500 locations in 38 states, makes dough and prepares its toppings fresh every day. Customers place their orders and then take the prepared pizza home to be baked. The company recently announced expansion in Alabama, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
Tipp, who’s spent time at Redbox, Coinstar, Potbelly Sandwich Works and Starbucks, said Papa Murphy’s has had a strong response in markets like Kansas City, Memphis and St. Louis and expects a similar response in central Arkansas.
“Little Rock is what we call a focused-development market for us now,” he said. “We take a portion of our national marketing funds, and we invest them directly in marketing” in that designated market area to increase brand awareness.
The company has a broker in the area constantly on the lookout for advantageous real estate opportunities, Tipp said. And when Papa Murphy’s sees a good opportunity in a market, it employs “turnkey development,” opening a store even before it has a franchisee.
Three factors are driving Papa Murphy’s interest in the area: the availability of good real estate opportunities, the cost of advertising and media — “We look for places where we can efficiently get on TV and promote the brand” — and a good workforce.
Papa Murphy’s, founded in 1981, became a publicly traded company on May 1, 2014. Stephens Inc. of Little Rock was a co-manager of the offering. Papa Murphy’s Holdings Inc. reported net income of $4.9 million in 2015 on revenue of $120.2 million.