Wetzel's Pretzels Opens First Asia Location

PASADENA, CA--(Marketwire - Jun 13, 2012) - Wetzel's Pretzels, the leader in super-premium, hot and fresh pretzels, announced the opening of the company's first Asia location, at the Ario Kameari Mall in Tokyo. The company's pretzels, Wetzel Dogs, lemonade and other offerings have been embraced by local residents, leading to lines 50-people deep with consumers ordering armfuls of pretzels to take home with them daily. The location has quickly become Wetzel's Pretzels' highest-volume store in the world.

To launch the first Asia-based Wetzel's Pretzels, the company partnered with master franchisee Takafumi Kawasaki, a veteran in the Japanese-based franchise sector. Kawasaki and Wetzel's have a strategic plan to open 10 Wetzel's Pretzels in Japan over the next two years. Additionally, the company has signed agreements and is in discussion with master franchise candidates to develop stores in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China within the next two years.

Wetzel's first Asia location follows the same business model, and offers the same products as each Wetzel's Pretzels in the United States, with one small change. The company's pretzels are 30 percent smaller to accommodate for regional attitudes toward food and portion size.

"Great flavor, value and products know no borders," said Bill Phelps, CEO and co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels. "There is a tremendous opportunity for growth in Asia. It's simply a matter of selecting how we want to move forward, and determining which business partners are the best fit for our brand."

Bill Phelps and Rick Wetzel launched Wetzel's Pretzels in 1994. Still leading the company today, they are the only founders of a retail snack food chain that do so.

Interested franchisees that have a passion for hard work and hot pretzels can contact Anthony Parete, EVP Development at Wetzel's Pretzels at anthony@wetzels.com, for additional franchise information.

About Wetzel's Pretzels
Armed with a vision and a tasty recipe for soft pretzel perfection, Bill Phelps and Rick Wetzel opened the first Wetzel's Pretzels bakery in Redondo Beach, Calif., in 1994. Long lines of hungry customers soon formed, attracted by mouth-watering soft pretzels that were hand-rolled, baked fresh and served hot from the oven. As word spread about these golden-on-the-outside pretzels, the company added additional offerings to its menu. Today, Wetzel's Pretzels has grown to more than 250 fresh bakeries across the United States and around the world, including premier locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Every Wetzel's Pretzels bakery adheres to the original vision of its founders; that each super-premium pretzel will be crafted from fresh dough and baked in-store consistently throughout the day, to ensure a delicious offering for each consumer, regardless of when the craving for a pretzel strikes. For additional information on Wetzel's Pretzels or franchise opportunities, please visit www.wetzels.com, call (626) 432-6900, "Like" them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.