Mr Melo Hili

We immediately embarked on a process to build and improve our customer experience as we felt that this was the key for further business development,” Mr Hili says.Premier Capital Limited took over the local McDonalds’ franchise in 2005. At that time it consisted of eight restaurants located in Malta and Gozo which were staffed by around 500 employees.
“The business was successful but had remained flat for a number of years prior to our take over. We immediately embarked on a process to build and improve our customer experience as we felt that this was the key for further business development,” Mr Hili says.
He goes on to explain that, while the business has grown considerably over the last four years, the most important ingredient has remained the staff. Without properly trained and motivated staff, the business cannot reach its full potential. And thus Premier Capital Limited has been very proactive in this field.
“You need to carefully examine the ‘people side’ of your business. You can have top quality equipment and locations, but without the right staff your business will never perform at an optimum rate,” Mr Hili stresses.
Premier Capital Limited has also improved the infrastructure of the operation. New kitchens have been added and high quality, modern décor has also been added.
“We have also provided other customer enhancements,” Mr Hili states. “These are in the form of free Wi-Fi spots, the ability to pay with a credit card and 24-hour opening times. These are all ways in which we have tried to make the McDonald’s experience better for our clients, and thus offer them additional value.”
In 2007 Premier Capital Limited ventured overseas and became the development licensees for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. But what made them expand into the Baltic States?
“Our family has past business experience in this geographical region and the operations in those areas were a similar size to the local operation. This made it a very realistic choice for us,” Mr Hili answers.
Did they encounter any difficulties in this expansion?
“There were initial language barriers and cultural differences to overcome. However, it was worth the effort as these countries have much greater potential due to their size,” Mr Hili replies.
Today Premier Capital Limited’s operation has around 2,400 staff and has seen its turnover increase from €10 million to €50 million. Every day 60,000 customers are served throughout the 30 restaurants it manages.
“Our management team is comprised of ten people from a mix of nationalities and is led by myself. We have a country manager for each region and functional directors for the main business areas: marketing, supply chain, development, HR and training, as well as finance,” Mr Hili says.
So what plans does Premier Capital Limited have for the future?
“We will be opening another eight restaurants over the coming 24 months. These will be opened in our overseas markets as we now see the local market as being at capacity,” Mr Hili replies.
He goes on to explain that Premier Capital Limited will be facilitating this considerable investment with a bond issue in the very near future, providing local investors with solid opportunity.
“We ultimately want to make McDonalds everyone’s favourite place to eat,” Mr Hili concludes.