Business View - February 2015 7
Editor’s
Note
Welcome to the February issue of Business View
Magazine, a global leader in business-to-business
profiles, news and opinion – whose mission is to
detail the inner workings of today’s most influential
companies through direct one-on-one contact with
their key decision-makers.
As always, our coverage touches a broad range of in-
dustries.
Informative features in this month’s North American
edition include the “new lease on life” being enjoyed
by a long-standing major player in the pizza business,
Sbarro. In fact, a corporate reorganization a few years
ago has since cleared the way for a rapid recovery,
according to CEO David Karam.
“It was constructive in the sense that it allowed us to
clean up the balance sheet, and it also allowed us to
close some unprofitable locations,” Karam said. “It
really allowed us to do what a reorganization should,
which is get the business strong so you can grow it
again. We are in the midst of really refreshing the
brand. We really look at it as a new lease on life.”
Karam said marketplace testing of the refined “New
York-style” and “pizza by the slice” elements has
been very positive, and that substantial traction
has already been gained from the company’s deci-
sion to go back to items that are most authentic to
its mid-1950s heritage. Much of the steam-table
food options were eliminated from menus in favor
of emphasizing fresh-made pizzas and strombolis, a
made-to-order pasta offering, contemporized bever-
age offerings and salads.
“When you have a mature brand like Sbarro, you
can’t just change your brand position. You’ve got to
really reclaim elements,” he said. “That’s not only
authentic and a bit of a refresh on the menu offer-
ings of the brand, but it also is very relevant to where
the consumer is. It’s a combination of what is claim-
able based upon the heritage of the brand, but also
what’s relevant to the consumer and what’ll allow
you to grow the business at an above-industry aver-
age rate.”
Check out the full-length Sbarro piece as well as
other feature stories in this month’s issue, alongside
supplemental content in the form of Top 10 lists, the
Opening Lines section and another installment of our
periodic end-of-magazine feature – “Guest View” –
which will include contributions from key voices in
industry sectors covered by the publication.
Please feel free to contact me with any comments
or critiques, as well as suggestions for ways we can
continue to provide a publication that’s pertinent,
educational and entertaining.
Until March… I wish you good health and good busi-
ness.
Regards,
Lyle Fitzsimmons
Vice President, Editorial
Business View Magazine
