Dive Brief:

• Wendy’s appointed Abigail Pringle to the newly created role of president, U.S. and appointed E.J. Wunsch to president, international, the company said Thursday in a press release.
• Pringle has been with the company since 2002, most recently serving as president, international and chief development officer, a role she held starting in 2019. Wunsch joined the chain as chief legal officer in 2016 and has been a strategic partner in various international initiatives. 
• In her new role, Pringle will oversee all areas of Wendy’s U.S. business, including over 6,000 company-owned and franchised restaurants. Wunsch will have similar responsibilities for international business across 33 countries and U.S. territories, and the two will take their offices on June 17.

Dive Insight:

The change in leadership is part of a review of business strategy spearheaded by Wendy’s President and CEO Kirk Tanner, who joined the chain earlier this year. Tanner said he believes having presidents for the U.S. and international businesses will speed up digital, same-store sales and development growth.

“I believe having one leader with clear accountability for development and operational performance in both the U.S. and International businesses, along with a singular voice to those respective franchise systems, will be a catalyst to accelerating growth and performance,” Tanner said. 

Tanner added that both executives have the experience to continue the company’s expansion trajectory. In her chief development officer role, Pringle has been responsible for restaurant design, real estate, construction and franchise development, all of which will help her in her new position. 

“Abigail has been a critical architect of our restaurant development journey and has put our International business on firm footing,” Tanner said. “She will now bring that discipline and drive for outsized performance to our U.S. business. E.J. is a strong, strategic business leader who has been deeply involved in the business in his current role.”

Management has also been working on ways to deliver short- and long-term profitable growth, Tanner said during the company’s May earnings call. That will include driving same-store sales improvement across its restaurants, including digital sales, accelerating global unit expansion and improving restaurant-level profitability, he said. 

As of the first quarter, the chain reported global same-store sales were up 90 basis points and U.S. same-store sales rose by 60 basis points, Tanner said. In the U.S., delivery grew 15% compared to the prior quarter and 35% year over year, he said. The company expects global same-restaurant sales growth of 3% to 4% for the year, putting Wendy’s on a path to surpass $3 billion in sales. The company is working toward 2% or higher net unit growth for the year, which will include about 250 to 300 new units.