Subway expands into Azerbaijan: EMEA leadership on the brand's newest market - FOTO
Subway recently entered the Azerbaijani market, signing a master franchise agreement that gives a local partner exclusive rights to develop and operate the brand across the country.
The deal makes Azerbaijan the newest addition to Subway's footprint in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. The brand, present in more than 35,000 locations worldwide, opened its first restaurants in Baku in early June.
On June 17, Subway marked the milestone with an official opening ceremony in Baku attended by the company's EMEA leadership, including Subway President EMEA Tracy Gehlan, CMO EMEA Louise Wardle, VP Strategic Execution EMEA Suzette Burger, MD of the EMEA MFZ Business Unit Kagan Sanli, and GM for the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Türkiye and CIS Efe Celik, who took part in the traditional ribbon-cutting.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, 1news.az spoke with Kagan Sanli about why Subway chose Azerbaijan, how the market fits into the brand's regional growth, and what success in the first year would look like.
Subway has been building strong momentum across the EMEA region in recent years, with new master franchise partnerships from Georgia to the Gulf. We'd love to hear the story behind the decision to enter Azerbaijan. What makes this market special, and what excited you most about this opportunity?
First of all, thank you for your time, and we really appreciate having you as part of our opening. So what makes Subway special for Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan special for Subway? Azerbaijan has a very young and dynamic consumer base that is open to modern international QSR brands coming from abroad. People here place a high value on quality, customization, and digitalization, which are three of the core pillars of our brand. That is why we believe Subway will be an excellent fit for local consumers. It has been exciting for us to be here, and just as rewarding to see the first reactions from consumers who have already visited and given us great feedback on our products.
How does Azerbaijan fit into Subway's broader vision for the region over the next three to five years? Do you see it as part of a wider growth journey across the Caucasus and Central Asia?
Let's start with the past five years. In that time we signed around 12 new master franchise deals and brought more than 20 markets into our family, on top of our existing business. It has been a remarkable new era for us. The brand is growing very fast, and we are meeting new consumers right across the region.
Azerbaijan is a great milestone, a natural next step for us before we move further into the Caucasus and Central Asia. What we are hoping is that all of Subway's main pillars resonate with people here: our custom, made-to-order sandwiches, the quality and freshness of the food, and a great consumer experience. All of that comes together to create something that feels right for the Azerbaijani consumer.
Subway is known globally for balancing international brand consistency with local adaptation. Are there plans to tailor the menu or experience to Azerbaijani consumer preferences over time?
Absolutely, but the core of our concept is already very open to customization and personalization. Subway has always been known for letting consumers come in and choose their bread, their proteins, their ingredients, whatever they like, and build a sandwich from scratch. That is what makes us unique. The whole concept is built around freshness, quality, and made-to-order sandwiches.
On top of that, you can certainly localize further with tastes and flavors that resonate with Azerbaijani people, and we have already started working on this together with our local partner.
Azerbaijan's QSR market is becoming increasingly dynamic and competitive, and Subway is introducing a fresh, made-to-order sandwich concept. How do you see the brand differentiating itself and contributing to the evolution of the country's QSR landscape?
Our main differentiator is, as I said, the fresh, made-to-order approach that has been there since the very beginning of the brand, along with quality and freshness as the two other pillars.
Now we are also moving into a new era of digitalization. Our first three locations here all have kiosks, and we have seen our young consumers specifically choose to order through the kiosk system. That is great for us, because we want to give them the best possible experience. So what makes Subway unique is fresh, made-to-order sandwiches through whichever medium you prefer, whether you start at the kiosk, at the line where you can see all the ingredients, or, coming soon, by ordering from home with delivery.
What are Subway's long-term ambitions for Azerbaijan? Do you already see opportunities beyond Baku, and what would define a successful first year?
We do see those opportunities. We have a very strong local partner here, with all the capabilities to help us grow beyond Baku. But first and foremost our priority is to build the foundation in Baku, which is the heart of Azerbaijan. Our main objective this year is not about opening as many stores as possible or being everywhere at once. It is about making sure that every consumer has a consistent, high-quality experience every single time. Once we do that, expanding beyond Baku becomes a very natural next step.
That is also how I would define a successful first year. It is not about how many stores we open, even though we and our partner have an ambitious plan. It is about delivering great quality, an excellent experience, and a place anyone can come to and find food that is fresh, high in quality, and genuinely tastes good. If we do that, and I am confident we will, the first year will be a success, and everything after that becomes a natural continuation.
Azerbaijan is increasingly appearing on the radar of global F&B brands. From your perspective, what differentiates this market, and looking at the bigger picture, what defines Subway in 2026 and makes this such a good moment to bring the brand here?
What differentiates Azerbaijan, first and foremost, is its people. This is a country that is proud of its culture, its heritage, and its local tastes and flavors, and at the same time open to new experiences and modern international brands. That is a perfect mix for us. It is a young, dynamic demographic that is open to digitalization and to trusted brands with great quality, which is exactly what we offer. In the first couple of weeks we have already seen a loyal base of customers that keeps growing, because I believe we are bringing exactly what people here are looking for.
As for Subway in 2026, there is a lot to come. Subway has been a global brand for a very long time, but it keeps finding new ways to make consumers happy and to serve the same consistently good quality food again and again.
We are always looking for new ways to do that, through new platforms like kiosks, new locations, and new markets. In Azerbaijan, what we are really doing is bringing together a wonderful young audience that is looking for what Subway offers, the quality, the experience, the freshness, with the Subway brand and the support of our master franchise partner.
