Nick-N-Willys Franchise LLC, a Lone Tree, Colo.-based restaurant and carryout pizza chain, says it plans to open 10 franchise outlets in Eastern Washington and Coeur dAlene by 2008.


The chain, which has one company-owned outlet and 64 franchise outlets, currently has plans to open another 65 new franchise outlets nationwide, says Vince Wilson, a Denver-based businessman who is Nick-N-Willys area developer for the Eastern Washington and Idaho markets in partnership with his sister, Julie Krick, who lives in Boise.


Wilson and Krick are looking for potential franchisees in Spokane, and Wilson says theyve received a number of applications from people who are interested in opening the eateries here.


Nick-N-Willys offers fresh gourmet pizzas, salads, and desserts. Wilson says the concept of take-and-bake fresh pizza already is familiar to consumers in the Northwest, so the company expects to expand rapidly here. Its main competitor is Vancouver, Wash.-based Papa Murphys International Inc., he says.


The company has two different store models: one thats a combination restaurant and carryout pizza model and the other that does carryout only, he says. Nick-N-Willys charges $25,000 initially for franchise rights for an outlet, then charges 6 percent of a franchisees annual sales in fees. Wilson says a sizable number of franchisees own multiple stores, and the company offers a $15,000 discount to current franchisees who buy rights for additional outlets.


Franchisees buy produce from local vendors and prepare pizzas on site, he says. Vendors with which the Colorado company has contracted ship other pizza ingredients, including cheese, sauces, and meat, to each store.


Franchisees hire their own contractors for remodeling or construction projects when opening stores, and Nick-N-Willys provides them with store designs created by Rochester, Minn.-based Allman & Associates Inc., an engineering and real estate development company. Nick-N-Willys also trains owners of its outlets at its corporate office, then its supervisors work with them on site before they open their store. Each store has an average of about 12 employees.


Area developers act as agents for the franchisor within a certain geographic area. They sell franchises and provide ongoing support services to franchisees, the companys Web site says.


Wilson and Crick also are working on opening six stores in the Boise area by early 2006. Another area developer is working on opening stores in the Seattle area, Wilson says.