As reported by Newsday.com, Subway announced on June 2, 2005 that it is ending its long-standing free sandwich promotion, amid concerns that counterfeiters have been creating and selling copies of the restaurant's proof-of-purchase stamps and cards. Subway, which franchises more than 23,000 restaurants in 82 countries, created the Sub Club promotion in the 1980's for customers to receive a free sandwich for every 8 that they purchased (customers received 1 stamp each time they purchased a six inch sandwich). Since 2003, Subway has discovered an increasing number of counterfeiters using high-quality printers and online auction sites to sell the counterfeit stamps. According to Subway, it is now designing a new promotion to replace the Sub Club promotion, which will be phased out by October.
Posted by franchiselawblog at June 6, 2005 11:50 AM