Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) Your first question comes from Scott Schneeberger – Oppenheimer.
Scott Schneeberger – Oppenheimer
Could you provide what the new territory sales number was, the gross positive and then we know the net calling of underperformers and you also mentioned an equal amount of company stores opened in relation to those that were called. Could you guys quantify at this point of the year where each of those metrics stand?
Dan O’Brien
Territory sales were at four in this first quarter again separate from locations. Again, we’re not giving any location views at this point. As we get a little further on in the year as is our typical practice we’ll do that. I did mention that we have shut down and have completed all those shut down activities of 191 company owned stores and are in the process of looking at opening approximately that same level of other company owned stores.
Again roughly we would expect company owned stores to be on balance with where we ended last year. Again that’s still to be finalized; we’re still early in the process.
Scott Schneeberger – Oppenheimer
On franchises, four new territories sold what are you looking for net; I got a sense for what you’re looking for company owned on a net basis. On a net basis for franchise stores will that probably be a negative this year?
Mike Yerington
It’s too early to say. I think we would expect to see some limited net growth this year overall but again we’ll have more to say on that as we get to the Analyst Day that we talked about in December. It’s just a bit early within our planning and whereas I’ve given some of our own company owned planning which clearly we have a closer ownership to, our franchisees are still in the process of finalizing their plans so it’s a bit early for us to give that prognostication.
Scott Schneeberger – Oppenheimer
Obviously your focus this year is less on the expansion growth and more on profitability in the same store sales and you’ve been delivering that message. Could you follow up perhaps on some quantification of what benchmarks you’re looking to achieve there. I realize that’s early too but anything you can share; I figured I’d fish for.
Mike Yerington
Let me talk a little bit about same store sales, certainly that is clearly our focus and a couple things I can talk about that we’re doing at the local level, we’re working with our franchise partners to develop business plans for them in their businesses in their local market. We’re working on a coordinated effort between marketing and operational to have almost a daily tactical plan for the franchisees.
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