Taco Bell Townsville shuts after short-lived stint
Townsville’s Taco Bell lasted about three-and-a-half years. See what happened.
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Taco Bell is improving the quality of its ingredients but Townsville customers won’t have the opportunity to taste it because the chain shut its doors here last week.
The shop on Attlee Street in Currajong was only open for three-and-a-half years, at the site of the former Sizzler which had been there for 30 years.
Ray White Commercial Townsville director Stacie Stockham said she could not comment about when or whether the building would be listed for sale or lease.
Ms Stockham directed the Bulletin to Collins Foods.
Collins Foods runs KFC in Australia and Europe, Taco Bell in Australia and Sizzler in Thailand and Japan.
The company operates Taco Bell in Australia, and is in a blackout period before reporting its financial results. A spokesman for the company refused to comment.
Collins Foods is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and its latest financial results, from November 2022, signalled trouble for Taco Bell.
Negative store sales for the first half of the 2022/2023 financial year were attributable to economic uncertainty shifting customers back towards traditional brands, the company says in its report.
A transition with a new marketing agency played a factor as well, the report says.
The company wanted to upgrade ingredient quality to “further raise the bar on taste”, expand the use of Uber Eats and tighten and enhance marketing for the second half of this financial year.
Collins Foods also paused opening new restaurants to “regain sales traction”, it says in the financial results.
“5-6 restaurants currently under development will be completed before pausing expansion,” it says in the report.
It is understood Collins Foods has offered staff at the Townsville Taco Bell redeployment to nearby KFC restaurants.
According to property records, Progress Securities and Nav Global bought the Townsville building, which housed Taco Bell, for $4.41m in December 2021.
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